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BOOTH  MEMORIALS. 


^assajg^s,  Jitab^ents,  anb  %mt^^it^ 


or  THl  UFI  Of 


Junius  Brutus  Booth, 


(THE    ELDER.) 


BY    HIS    DAUGHTER. 


^. 


NEW  YORK:  , 


y,  HDCCCLXTL 


Kntered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  i&  the  year  1866,  by 

GEO.    W.    CARLETON, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District  of 

New  York. 


MOTHER: 

THAT    NAME,    SO    HALLOWED    AND     REVEJCED,    IS     BUT 
A    STKONTM    OF     SOKEOW; 

Co  §an, 

THE    EVER    PATIENT    AND   "iiONG    SUFFERING, 
I  DEDICATE    THESE    PAGES. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


This  volume  was  originally  designed  as  a  token  of 
the  profound  love  and  reverence  with  which  the  chil- 
dren of  a  good  and  nohle  father  ever  regarded  him  in 
life,  and  honor  his  memory  in  death.  At  a  more 
recent  period,  the  perusal  of  English  publications  on 
the  drama  evincing  such  total  disregard  of  justice,  in 
all  relating  to  my  father,  made  the  task  I  had  under- 
taken in  love,  become  a  duty.  After  a  tedious  re- 
search, I  had  compiled  a  faithful  account,  and,  when 
very  near  its  completion,  it  was  laid  aside. 

A  calamity,  without  precedent,  has  fallen  upon  our 
country  !  We,  of  all  families,  secure  in  domestic  love 
and  retirement,  are  stricken  desolate  !  The  name  we 
would  have  enwreathed  with  laurels  is  dishonored  by 
a  son,  —  "his  well-beloved  —  his  bright  boy  Absa- 
lom I"  s^ 

(vn) 


Vm  INTRODUCTORY. 

My  task  never  should  have  been  resumed,  but  in 
the  heaviest  hours  of  our  sorrow,  so  many  tongues 
were  firee  to  calumniate  us,  privately  and  profession- 
ally, that  I  am  urged  to  complete  my  work,  in  the 
belief,  that  while  this  truthful  sketch 'may  tend  to  in- 
terest the  friends  of  my  lamented  father,  it  will  serve 
in  all  honest  minds,  to  confute  the  aspersions  of  evil 
men. 

* 

Of  my  father's  family,  there  were  ten  children,  five 
of  whom  are  living,  —  Junius,  Rosalie,  Edwin,  Asia, 
and  Joseph.  By  a  boyish  mesalliance,  contracted  in 
Brussels  in  the  year  1814,  there  was  one  son,  who,  if 
alive,  is  still  a  resident  of  London,  and  of  whom  we 
possess  no  further  knowledge. 

The  engraving  of  my  father  as  "  Richard  the  Third," 
was  executed  in  London  in  1820.  Several  portraits 
were  taken  in  this  country ;  the  most  excellent  is  a 
fine  painting  of  Brutus,  by  Nagle,  an  indifferent  copy 
of  which  appeared  in  "  The  Acting  American  Drama*" 
edited  by  Lopez  and  Wemyss 


OOl^TEIirTS. 


I. 

BIRTH  AND  lilNEAGE  OT  JUNIUS  BBUTUS  BOOTH  —  EDUCATION 
AND  PROCLIVITIES  —  PRINTING,  PAINTING,  SCULPTURE  AND 
THE  LAW  —  ABANDONS  ALL  FOR  THE  STAGE  —  HIS  FIRST 
APPEARANCE  — JOURNAL  OF  HIS  FIRST  THEATRICAL  TOUP^     15 

n. 

"  PLATS  MANY  PARTS  " — MISS  SALLIE  BOOTH  —  NON-ARRIVAI. 
OP  KEAN  —  BOOTH  AS  SIR  GILES  OVERREACH  AT  BRIGH- 
TON—  HIS  FAME  EXTENDS  TO  THE  LONDON  THEATRES  — 
BRIGHT  PROSPECTS  —  LETTERS,      ......      88 

m. 

UNEXPECTED  ANNOUNCEMENT  —  HIS  DEBUT  AS  RICHARD  HI.  — 
KEAN' S  VISIT  IN  HIS  CHARIOT  —  FALSE  FRIENDS  —  WITH- 
DRAWAL FROM  COVENT  GARDEN  —  KEAK  AND  BOOTH  IN 
"OTHELLO," ....     40 

IV. 

A  RIOT  — BOOTH  AS  RICHARD  —  HIS  GREETING  —  THE  CHARGE 
OF  IMITATION  —  THfl  "  WOLF  CLUB"  —  LETTER  FROM  A 
CELEBRATED  AUTHOR, 48 

(n) 


X  CONTENTS. 

V. 

PERFORMS  IN  THREE  TOWNS  IN  ONE  DAT  —  STBATFORD-ON- 
AVON  —  CHURCH  OF  THE  TRINITY  —  THE  KING'S  DEATH 
—  BOOTH  AS  LEAR  —  BOOTH,  KEMBLE,  AND  MACKEADY  IN 
THB  EAST,       .  .  ^ ^.66 

VI. 

PERFORMS  ALTERNATELY  AT  TWO  THEATRES  —  A  CRITIQUB  — 
KEAN  AND  BOOTH  AGAIN  AT  DBURY  LANE  —  MARRIAGE-^ 
MADEIRA  —  THE  FAVORITE  "  PEACOCK  "  —  SAILS  FOB 
AMERICA, 61 

VII. 
DEBUT  BEFORE  AN  AMERICAN  AUDIENCE  —  OPINIONS  OF  .PLAY- 
GOERS —  SINGULAR    MEETING  WITH    COOPER  —  FIRST    EN- 
GAGEMENT IN  NEW  YORK  —  THB  PRESS  ON  HIS  ACTING  — 
HAMLET  AND  JERRY  SNEAK, 66 

VIII. 
IiOVB  OF  RETIREMENT  —  ECCENTRIC  RECORD  —  FIRST  APPEAR- 
ANCE   IN     BOSTON  —  "  THE     FARM  "  —  ARRIVAL     OF    HIS 
FATHER — DEBUT  IN  PHILADELPHIA  —  MODE  OF   TRAVEL- 
UNO,         74 

IX. 

DEPARTURE  FOR  ENGLAND  —  MEETING  WITH  KEAN  —  APPEAR- 
ANCE IN  LONDON  —  BURNING  OF  A  THEATRE  —  LOSS  OF  HIS 
WARDROBE  —  THE  PRINCE  OF  ORANGE  —  RETURN  TO  AMER- 
ICA —  ENCOUNTER  WITH  A  LUNATIC  —  NEW  ORLEANS  — 
ORE8TE  AT  THE  FRENCH  THEATRE  —  COMPARED  WITH 
TALMA  —  THB  PLAY  BILL  —  REPETITION  OF  THB  PER- 
FORMANCE,       88 


CONTENTS.  XI 

X. 

BOSTON — booth's  SCKIPTUEAL  BEADINOS  —  SLOW  UNB  TO 
ANNAPOLIS  —  BOOTH  AND  FOKKEST  ACT  TOGETHER  IN 
NEW  YORK  —  BOOTH  AS  MANAGER  —  CHARLES  KEAN  — 
THE  "  SECOND  ACTOR "  —  CRITICISMS,  .  .  .  .92 

XI. 

DAVID  PAUL  BROWN'S  TRAGEDT  —  FILIAL  AND  PARENTAL  AD- 
VICE—  ACTORS  AT  "the  FARM" — TWO  DEATHS ^MK. 
BOOTH'S  ILLNESS  —  RESOLVE, 100 

xii. 

"old  father  ANTIC,  THE  LAW  "  —  THE  "  FINE  OLD  ENOUSB 
GENTLEMAN,"  AND  HIS  ROYAL  VALET — LUDICROUS  MIS- 
TAKE —  BOOTH  ACTS  ON  ALTERNATE  NIGHTS  IN  NEW  YORK 
AND  PHILADELPHIA, 106 

xni. 

THE  PUBLIC  THREATENED  WITH  THE  THUNDERS  OF  GENERAL 
JACKSON  —  ANECDOTE  OF  BOOTH  AND  FLYNN  —  A  CRI- 
TIQUE,        113 

XIV. 
▲   pastor's    "odd    adventure"     WITH    THE     TRAGEDIAN^ 
THE    "  ANCIENT    MARINER  ' '  —  OCCULT     SYMPATHY  —  THE 
CORPSE  —  PLEA  FOR  THE  DEAD, 126 

V 

XV. 

A  JOURNAL  —  ENGLAND  —  LOSS  OP  A  FAVORITE  SON  —  RE- 
TURNS TO  AMERICA  —  BURNING  OF  "  THE  BOWERY  "  — 
BOOTH  AS  A  FARMER  —  A  VISIT  TO  THE  DEPARTED  — 
SAVED  FROM  A  WATERY  GRAVE  —  A  LAMENTABLE  OCCUR- 
BENCE  —  THE  FIRST  APPEARANCE  OF  HIS  SON  JONHTS,  .   13? 


Xn  CONTENTS. 

XVI. 

PABTIAL  KETIBEMENT  —  PHILANTHKOPY  —  AN  UNCOMMON  BE- 
QUEST—  BOOTH  AT  THE  NATIONAL  THEATRE,  NEW  YORK 
—  EDWIN  booth's  first  APPEARANCE  ON  THE  STAGE  OP 
LIFE  AND  DEBUT  ON  THE  MIMIC  STAGE  —  CRITIC  CRITI- 
CISED —  A  POEM, 139 

XVII. 

AS  ADVENTURE  AT  "THE  FARM" — THE  PROGRAMME  —  ED- 
WIN UNDERTAKES  RICHARD  III.  —  HIS  SUCCESS  —  THE 
HEADSMAN  —  FATHER  AND  SON, 146 

XVIII. 
THE    "  OLD    CHESTNUT,"      PHILADELPHIA  —  THE    WANDBEINO 
JEW  —  CALIFORNIA    ENGAGEMENTS  —  BOOTH  A  PIRATE  — 
SUDDEN     RESOLUTION  —  NEW    ORLEANS  —r  LAST     APPEAR- 
ANCE ON  THE  STAGE, 153 

XIX. 

FATAL  ILLNESS  —  LAST  WORDS  AND  DEATH  ON  THE  MISSIS- 
SIPPI RIVER  —  THE  NEWS  AT  HOME  —  THE  BODY  IN  MA- 
SONIC CHARGE  —  FUNERAL  CEREMONIES  —  THE  LAST 
J3CENE  —  A  LETTER  —  TRIBUTE  TO  THE  GREAT  BY  THE 
GREAT  —  REMARKS, 159 


Si  male  locata  est  opera  scribendo,  ne  ipsi  locent 
in  legendo." 


^f-^m 


PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 


m   THE   UFE  Ot 


JUNIUS    BRUTUS    BOOTH 

{THE  ELDER). 


I. 

HE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  on 
the  first  of  May,  1796,  in  the  parish  of  St. 
Pancras,  London.  His  paternal  grand- 
mother was  Elizabeth  Wilkes,  cousin  to  the 
orator  John  Wilkes,  and  from  his  mother 
he  inherited  the  blood  of  the  Welsh  Le- 
wellyns.  His  father,  Richard  Booth,  was  educated 
for  the  law ;  but,  becoming  in  his  youth  more  in- 
fatuated with  republicanism  than  his  profession,  he 
left  home  in  company  with  a  cousin,  John  Brevett, 
and  embarked  for  America  (then  at  war  with 
England),  determined  to  fight  in  her  cause. 

Booth  was  taken  prisoner,  conveyed  to  France, 
thence  to  England,  where  he  devoted  himself  to 

(15) 


16         PAS8AGBB,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

the  acquirement  of  knowledge,  and  the  occasional 
practice  of  his  profession.  Everything  appertain- 
ing to  America  was  held  in  veneration  by  Richard 
Booth  :  a  picture  of  Washington,  which  hung  in 
his  drawing-room,  was  then  an  object  of  curiosity 
among  the  Londoners  ;  and  this  he  insisted  should 
be  looked  at  only  with  the  head  uncovered,  and 
occasionally  a  bow  of  reverence. 

He  attained  great  reputation  as  a  scholar,  al- 
though liis  vaunted  love  of  republicanism  rendered 
him  unpopular  both  as  a  lawyer  and  a  man.  He 
married  Miss  Game,  who  died  at  the  birth  of  her 
third  child,  a  daughter.  The  sons  were  named  Ju- 
nius Brutus  and  Algernon  Sydney,  evidently  in  a 
burst  of  patriotic  as  well  as  parental  love. 

Junius  Brutus  received  a  classical  education,  and 
gave  early  promise  of  his  taste  for  drawing  and  ht- 
erature.  He  learned  printing,  but  abandoned  it  for 
the  law,  and  for  a  while  remained  in  his  father's 
office,  transcribing,  from  his  dictation,  dry  and  tur- 
gid declamations.  Evincing  a  desire  for  the  navy, 
he  was  accordingly  rated  as  midshipman  on  board 
the  brig  Boxer,  commanded  by  Captain  Blythe. 
His  projects  were  soon  frustrated  by  the  vessel's 
destiny  being  changed  from  the  Mediterranean  to 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.        17 

the  American  coast.  His  father  dissuaded  him  from 
going,  and  the  Boxer  sailed  minus  one  of  her  com- 
plement. In  an  engagement  with  the  enemy,  she 
lost  all  her  crew  excepting  a  cabin-boy. 

Not  possessing  that  universal  genius  generally  at- 
tributed to  all  who  attain  eminence,  Junius  Booth 
merely  essayed  one  great  art  after  another,  and, 
feeling  the  insufficiency  of  painting,  poetry,  and  di- 
viner sculpture,  he  avowed  them  all  combined  in 
the  actor's  higher  art.  His  determination  to  join 
the  players  aroused  the  displeasure  of  his  father,  so 
he  left  home,  and  contracted  an  engagement  with 
Mr.  Penley,  at  Deptford.  He  began  his  career  as 
"Campillio,"  in  the  "Honeymoon,"  Dec.  13th, 
1813,  at  a  salary  of  one  pound  per  week  ;  he  after- 
ward accompanied  Mr.  Penley  to  the  continent ; 
and  of  this  tour  he  kept  an  interesting  journal. 
Though  novelty  has  rendered  him  diffuse,  yet  the 
accuracy  and  minuteness  of  detail  show  the  studious 
and  reflective  mind,  and  the  regular  course  of  life 
consequent  on  time  so  assiduously  employed. 

MEMORANDA  OF  A  VOYAGE  TO  HOLLAND. 

"  On  Friday,  May  6th,  1814,  went  from  Simpson 
Ways  Limehouse,  in  the  Two  Brothers,  a  Dutch 


"^ 


18        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

vessel  bound  for  Amsterdam,  laden  with  treacle, 
with  thirty- six  people  on  board,  performers  for  an 
English  theatre  that  was  to  open  there,  under  the 
management  of  Messrs.  Jonas  and  Penley.  It 
rained  very  hard,  and  no  wind  stirring,  we  dropped 
slowly  down  the  Thames  to  Fiddler's  Reach,  tvhere 
we  anchored  for  the  night.  In  the  morning,  we 
went  on  shore,  at  Gravesend,  to  lay  in  a  small 
stock  of  provisions.  We  were  detained  till  the  af- 
ternoon in  what  is  called  clearing  out,  and  were 
obliged  to  give  in  a  list  of  the  performers.  We 
sailed  from  thence  about  three  o'clock,  and,  after 
going  through  the  usual  forms  of  rummaging  the 
vessel,  we  put  our  officers  ashore,  and  took  a  pilot 
to  convoy  us  to  Harwich. 

"We  dropped  down  and  reached  the  Nore,  where 
the  fleet  were  at  anchor.  About  eight  o'clock  I 
observed,  for  the  first  time,  the  setting  sun,  which 
went  down  in  all  its  splendor,  leaving  the  world  to 
the  influence  of  Luna  till  the  mom.  At  the  same 
time  the  admiral's  ship  fired  the  evening-gun,  on 
which  all  the  rest  followed  the  example,  and  the 
music  on  board  played  '  God  save  the  king  ! ' 

"  After  contemplating  the  beauties  of  the  evening 
and  reflecting  on  my  situation  till  dark,  we  betook 


r 


JN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       19 

ourselves  to  the  hold,  which  was  our  bedchamber 
(the  cabin  being  for  the  accommodation  of  the  la- 
dies), and  slept  upon  a  box  all  night.  The  next 
morning  we  passed  Harwich,  where  we  put  our 
pilot  on  shore,  and  sailed  past  the  Martello  Towers 
on  the  coast,  by  Orfordness,  and  put  out  to  sea. 
Saw  several  porpoises ;  wind  against  us,  but  very 
fine  weather.  In  the  afternoon  I,  among  the  riest, 
was  taken  sick,  went  into  the  hold  and  lay  till  next 
morning.  We  were  now  almost  out  of  sight  of 
land,  which,  as  we  gradually  lost,  I  felt  a  kind  of  re- 
gret within  me  at  leaving  my  native  shore.  I  cannot 
help  remarking  our  ludicrous  appearance.  There 
were  a  great  number  of  cossack  caps  and  clown 
and  pantomime  head-dresses,  which  on  our  meagre 
and  squaUd  countenances  inspired  each  other  with 
laughter. 

"  We  came  in  sight  of  land  on  Monday  evening, 
but  soon  lost  it.  The  night  was  very  cold,  and 
three  of  us,  Piatt,  Jones,  and  myself,  slept  on  a 
tub,  covered  by  a  coat  which  we  borrowed  from  a 
sailor,  near  a  poor,  sick  Prussian,  who  infested  the 
ship  with  garhc.  We  slept,  for  the  first  time  since 
our  departm-e,  for  about  two  hours,  but  were  soon 
awakened  by  the  roaring  of  the  sea  and  the  jargon 


20        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

of  the  Prussian  and  a  sailor  quarrelling  about  the 
bed. 

"  The  wind  was  right  in  our  teeth.  They  made 
several  tacks,  but  lost  upon  all.  We  were  appre- 
hensive of  danger.  At  night  we  were  in  sight  of 
land,  and  many  of  us  insisted  upon  going  ashore  in 
the  morning ;  then  betook  ourselves  to  our  miser- 
able beds  on  the  casks  and  boxes.  As  soon  as 
morning  broke,  we  insisted  on  the  men  making 
signals  for  a  boat  to  come  to  our  assistance ;  and, 
about  seven  o'clock,  some  fishermen  put  off  through 
the  raging  surf.  We  entreated  the  captain  to  put 
into  Rotterdam  ;  but  he  refused  to  do  so,  being 
bound  for  Amsterdam. 

"  At  length  the  boat  came  alongside.  When  we 
saw  the  rude,  savage  appearance  of  the  men, — cased 
as  they  were  in  leather  and  wearing  large  hairy 
caps  and  wooden  shoes, — we  made  some  scruple  of 
trusting  ourselves  with  them ;  but  we  had  resolved 
not  to  remain  in  the  vessel,  which  had  become 
hateful  to  us.  We  asked  what  money  they  wanted  ; 
and  these  fellows,  true  Dutchmen,  demanded  ten 
guineas  to  take  us  on  shore,  —  a  distance  of  about 
three  miles.  This  did  not  tally  with  our  pockets ; 
so,  after  much  grumbling,  they  agreed  to  take  two 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  J UNIUS  BR UTUS  BOOTH.        21 

guineas.  We  jumped  into  their  boat,  and,  without 
bundles  or  provisions,  left  the  vessel,  which  we 
were  to  see  at  Rotterdam.  We  paid  our  money, 
upon  which  the  fellows  huzzaed  in  savage  joy. 

*  We  then  decorated  our  arms  and  breasts  with 
some  orange  ribbon  which  we  had  bought  at 
Gravesend.  A  crowd  of  women  and  children  had 
collected  on  the  shore  to  see  us  land.  The  surf 
beat  violently  and  prevented  us  landing,  on  which 
these  fellows  jumped  into  the  sea ;  and,  taking  a 
sort  of  grappling-iron  with  them,  stuck  it  in 
among  the  stones.  They  then  returned ;  and  each 
taking  one  of  us  astride  his  back,  brought  us  to  the 
shore.  This  was  at  Petten,  near  Camperdown,  on 
Wednesday,  11th  of  May. 

"  After  satisfying  our  ravenous  appetites  we  set 
out.  I  had  not  walked  far  when  my  feet  grew 
so  sore,  that  I  could  not  put  them  to  the  ground. 
I  was  obliged  to  loiter  on  the  way,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  Mr.  John  Penley,  I  limped  along, 
but  was  forced  to  take  off  my  shoes,  and  hopped 
over  the  roads,  on  banks  of  canals,  composed 
of  shells.  I  was  left  behind  at  a  considerable 
distance  without  a  stiver  in  my  pocket,  in  a 
foreign   country,  and   with  symptoms  of  illness. 


22       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

I  could  not  help  cursing  my  folly  at  leaving  Eng- 
land. About  six,  I  reached  Alkemar,  where  I 
found  my  companions  smoking  their  pipes  and 
drinking  wine  in  the  Crown  Hotel. 

"  The  next  morning,  hurried  to  the  boat  which 
was  to  convey  us  to  Amsterdam.  I  was  astonished 
at  the  vast  number  of  mills  I  saw  on  every  side, 
which  verifies  the  remark  that  Cervantes  should 
not  have  written  *  Don  Quixote '  till  he  had  seen 
Holland.  We  proceeded  to  Saardam,  a  delightful 
place,  and  reached  the  great  city  of  Amsterdam, 
May  12,  1814. 

"May  13,  Wednesday,  the  theatre  opened  and 
was  well  attended.  Thursday  and  Friday,  I  was 
confined  to  the  house,  my  feet  being  so  bad. 
On  Saturday,  received  our  first  salaries,  and  in- 
stead of  twelve  shillings,  we  got  ten.  To  nearly 
every  window  in  Holland  are  attached  small 
looking-glasses,  so  that  you  may  see  who  passes 
in  the  street  without  thrusting  your  head  out  of 
the  window. 

*'The  theatre  is  a  commodious  building.  The 
entrances  to  the  stage  are  all  from  the  top,  which 
was  at  first  very  awkward.  It  is  about  the  size  of 
the  Haymarket,  but  more  formal  in  appearance. 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  J UNIU8  BR UTUS  BOOTH.       23 

Instead  of  a  curtain,  they  have  a  drop-scene,  — 
a  harp  in  the  centre  of  a  blaze  of  light.  There 
are  three  theatres,  the  Dutch,  French,  and  the 
German.  I  saw  a  favorite  play  called  De  Moeder 
des  Huisgezins.  The  French  theatre  is  light  and 
neat,  and  is  open  the  year  round.  The  Dutch 
is  sombre,  long,  and  dark,  has  a  very  large  pit, 
and  is  lighted  by  one  chandelier  in  the  centre. 
It  is  now  occupied  by  Davies  and  Parker,  who  ac- 
complish more  by  the  evolutions  of  their  horses 
than  Penley  with  his  butcheries  of  Shakspeare. 
Zaire  was  finely  acted  at  the  French  theatre,  and 
Mademoiselle  Dangerville  played  and  sung  delight- 
fully in  the  farce. 

"  The  houses  have  a  quaint  appearance  with  their 
great  wooden  chimneys ;  streets  are  dimly  lighted 
by  lamps  slung  on  ropes  from  opposite  houses. 
There  are  a  great  number  of  drawbridges,  which 
are  lifted  by  boys  and  old  women,  for  the  barges  to 
pass  under.  The  women  wear  high-formed  caps, 
and  the  Boerens  a  piece  of  gold  round  the  head, 
with  long  thin  ear-rings,  and  a  lap  under  this 
which  hangs  on  the  shoulders.  The  undertakers 
dress  in  a  queer  manner.  It  is  their  business,  as 
well  as  to  conduct  funerals,  to  inform  the  inhabi- 


24         PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

tants  of  deaths,  births,  and  marriages,  instead  of 
advertising  the  news  as  we  do.  When  they  go 
with  information  of  marriage  they  wear  white 
gloves,  and  for  death  they  wear  black  ones. 

"  On  the  28th  June,  there  were  preparations 
made  for  the  arrival  of  Alexander,  Emperor  of  Rus- 
sia. All  public  places  were  ornamented,  and  a  grand 
triumphal  arch  erected,  in  the  Reguliers  Bree 
Straut.  On  the  2d  of  July,  the  emperor  arrived  ; 
the  procession  was  different  from  what  I  was  led  to 
expect  from  the  bustle  and  grandeur  of  the  prep- 
arations. He  was  seated  in  a  plain  open  carriage, 
preceded  by  some  of  the  royal  families  of  Holland,* 
and  followed  by  his  cossack,  who  sat  in  an  open 
chaise,  like  a  statue,  totally  unconscious  of  the 
shouts  and  plaudits  of  the  mob.  The  emperor  is 
like  his  pictures,  but  he  lacked  that  majesty  — 
that  look  above  the  world  —  I  thought  to  see  in  a 
sovereign.  Notwithstanding  the  rejoicings,  famine 
and  misery  are  on  every  side ;  Jews,  in  swarms, 
yellow  and  loathsome  as  Lazarus,  are  lying 
about  the  streets,  or  hovering  over  their  little  pans 
of  fire,  shocking  the  eye  of  decency  and  humanity. 

"Arrived  at  Antwerp,  July  22d,  1814.  The 
churches  inspire  me  with  awe,  and  almost  deter 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUB  BOOTH.       25 

me  from  entering  the  theatre  so  shortly  afterward. 
The  old  women  attend  the  churches  with  chairs, 
and  come  round  for  any  superfluous  change  one 
may  be  troubled  with.  The  appearance  of  this 
town  shows  the  effect  of  the  late  war. 

*'  Did  not  observe  many  Jews,  —  unlike  Amster- 
dam. The  reason  is  plain,  —  vide^  the  English  I 
Happening  to  hear  Mrs.  Benyon  repeat  the  follow- 
ing address,  it  reminded  me  so  str^pgely  of  a  cir- 
cumstance which  once  occurred  to  myself,  that  I 
requested  a  copy  of  it. 

"  '  AN  ADDRESS,  WRITTEN  BY  MB.  MATCHETT  BENYON,  AT  THB 
THEATRE  DERBY,  FOR  THE  LATE  G.  COOKE,  ON  HIS  DE- 
PARTURE.     DEDICATED,  BY   MRS   BENYON,   TO  J.  B.  BOOTH. 

" '  Oft  have  you  seen  a  rash,  adventurous  boy,  — 
Just  taught  to  spurn  his  nurse,  and  childish  toy,  — 
Of  prosp'rous  voyages  having  read  at  home, 
Burn  with  desire,  through  foreign  climes  to  roam ; 
Without  experience,  and  with  fancy  hot, 
Paint  pleasure  everywhere  where  he  is  not. 
Maternal  care  he  leaves,  without  a  sigh. 
For  the  fond  pleasure  of  variety. 
His  tender  mother,  finding  precept  vain, 
With  generous  fondness,  strives  to  hide  her  pain; 
With  care,  his  sea-habiliments  provides ; 
Wipes  from  her  cheek  the  tear  that  silent  glides. 


26        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

The  infatuate  youth,  still  stubborn  to  his  plan, 
Tries  them,  —  then  struts,  and  thinks  himself  a  man. 
But  when,  at  last,  the  day  of  parting's  nigh, 
He  drops  the  tear,  and  heaves  the  heavy  sigh. 
His  flatten'd  fancy  now  no  sunshine  shows. 
But  shivers  at  the  storm,  ere  yet  it  blows. 
Oh,  should  it  pour  on  this  devoted  head, 
.    And  drive  me  back,  your  vengeance  I  should  dread ! 
Not  your  indulgence  could  I  hope  to  prove,  — 
You'd  spurn  the  prodigal  that- slights  your  love. 
Such  is  my  case  ;  yet  pity,  though  you  blame. 
Nor  aggravate  my  sense  of  grief,  of  fear,  and  shame.' 

"  On  Sunday  morning,  at  hdlf  past  eight,  Au- 
gust 14th,  1814,  left  Antwerp,  by  a  dihgence,  and 
proceeded  to  Brussels.  Passed  several  villages,- 
and  decayed  trees  which  had  been  cut  down  dur- 
ing the  war  to  obstruct  the  passage  of  the  artillery. 
On  each  side,  nature  presented  a  lovely  prospect, 
while  the  romantic  appearance  of  the  ruins  brought 
to  my  mind  the  circumstances  and  relation  of  many 
romances.  We  stopped  to  refresh  at  a  little  house 
at  Aertselaar,  where  I  saw  a  picture  of  the  Prodi- 
gal Son,  done  in  a  style  which  would  have  been  an 
acquisition  to  any  noble  mansion.  We  crossed  the 
Ripel,  and  found  a  covered  wagon  ready  to  receive 
us.    Got  in  the  barge,  and  at  seven  arrived  at  Brus- 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       27 

sels.  Went  to  the  theatre,  which  is  very  large, — 
similar  to  the  Pantheon,  —  with  five  tiers  of  boxes. 
Lord  Wellington  was  there,  with  several  other 
principal  officers.  Wednesday,  being  the  birth-day 
of  S.  A.  S.,  the  Prince  of  Orange,  there  was  a 
grand  fete  given,  and  the  city  illuminated. 

"  The  park  was  beautifully  decorated  with  lamps, 
but  owing  to  the  strong  wind,  it  was  soon  involved 
in  darkness,  and  no  lights  seen,  except  the  flam- 
beaux of  the  bourgeois,  who  were  playing  on  in- 
struments, and  the  Belgic  band  of  musicians.  Our 
managers,  thinking,  as  it  rained  in  the  afternoon, 
that  a  performance  would  answer,  opened  the  the- 
atre, but  were  obliged  to  dismiss  the  house,  owing 
to  the  absence  of  Piatt  and  Franklins.  The  peo- 
ple are  more  honest  than  the  Dutch,  sensible,  and 
well-informed  ;  many  understand  Latin,  and  speak 
it  extremely  well. 

"At  the  church  of  St.  Lazarus  is  a  stone  which 
attracts  attention  on  account  of  the  following  tra- 
dition. At  the  administration  of  communion,  a 
boy  happened  to  bite  the  wafer ;  on  which  the  priest 
uttered  a  cry,  and  bade  him  spit  it  out ;  he  did  so 
and  the  blood  of  our  Saviour  ran  from  it  on  this 
stone,  which  was  taken  up  with  silver  tools,  and 


28        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES     , 

deposited  as  a  miracle.  There  is  also  a  picture  of 
some  Jews  who  broke  into  a  church  and  with 
knives  are  stabbing  the  holy  wafers ;  they  are  seized 
with  horror  at  seeing  the  blood,  and  are  striving  to 
escape. 

"  We  had  Mrs.  Jordon  to  perform  three  nights, 
on  which  occasions,  the  Prince  was  always  present. 
She  was  received  very  liberally,  and  by  a  full 
house.  I  saw  Kemble  once  or  twice  at  the  French 
theatre.  On  Saturday,  17th,  the  dresses  seized 
by  the  gens  d'armes,  doors  locked,  and  no  one 
admitted.  There  was  a  grand  ball  in  the  theatre, 
and  only  the  members  of  the  Society  allowed  to  be 
present.  We  performed,  on  Tuesday  20th,  the 
*  Iron  Chest,'  and  '  Village  Lawyer,'  in  modem 
dresses,  not  being  able  to  get  at  the  theatrical 
clothes.  Kemble  and  wife  were  in  the  house, 
and  were  announced  for  the  Thursday  following. 
They  performed  '  Felix  and  Violante,'  '  Duke 
and  Duchess,'  '  Hamlet  and  Ophelia,'  '  Shylock 
and  Portia.'  I  received  much  encouragement 
from  Kemble.  He  had  a  benefit,  —  almost  empty 
house. 

"  On  Wednesday,  I  saw,  for  the  first  time  in  my 
life,   three   wretches   executed   on   the  guillotine. 


JN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.        29 

They  were  house-breakers,  and  had  been  in  prison 
ten  months  for  a  burglary,  and  attempt  at  assassi- 
nation. One  of  them,  Moncheur,  was  a  terrible 
ruffian.  He  demanded,  as  he  was  mounting  the  scaf- 
fold, to  speak  to  his  judge.  After  many  fruitless 
endeavors  to  obtain  pardon,  he  kissed  the  priest, 
and  resisted  being  put  on  the  board.  He  spoke 
loud  and  vehemently ;  the  bourreau  winked  at  his 
comrade,  and,  seizing  Moncheur  by  the  waistband, 
pushed  him  under  the  fatal  instrument. 

"  On  a  scaffold  erected  opposite,  were  five  men 
and  two  women,  chained  by  the  neck  to  seven 
stakes,  with  a  label  over  each,  and  thus  exposed 
for  an  hour,  in  the  same  manner  as  our  pillory. 
They  compared  Moncheur  to  the  famous  Schinder- 
hammer. 

"  The  French  theatre  (like  the  English),  though 
not  well  attended  at  the  representation  of  any 
piece  worthy  of  notice,  as  those  of  Moli^re,  Vol- 
taire, Gentry,  etc.,  when  six  tumblers  came  from 
Paris,  the  receipts  were  superior  to  the  administra- 
tors' expectations.  It  is  a  common  thing  to  see  peo- 
ple kiss  each  other  in  the  streets,  —  oftener  men  than 
women.  Left  Brussels  Monday,  25th,  for  Gaud; 
There  were  very  few  Enghsh   at   Gand:    many 


30        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

Americans.  The  theatre  is  large  and  well  con- 
ducted.    Receipts  paltry,  except  on  Sundays. 

"Arrived  at  Bruges,  Dec.  12tli.  The  entrance 
to  the  city  is  by  an  iron  gate,  where  stand  swarms 
of  beggars  ready  to  steal  your  bundle,  and  fiacres 
to  transport  your  goods.  Opened  to  a  good  house 
with  *  Travellers  Benighted '  and  '  Of  age  To-mor- 
row.' The  town  is  poor  and  dirty,  buildings  old 
and  ruinous ;  the  place  resembles  a  poor  English 
village,  more  than  a  large  city.  Several  fine  pic- 
tures at  St.  Saviour's  Church,  and  samples  of 
needle-work,  which  surpass  all  idea.  We  were 
shown  through  the  hospital  by  a  friendly  priest, 
and  visited  several  convents.  In  the  cathedral  are 
two  superb  tombs ;  one  is  for  Charles  the  Bold, 
Duke  of  Burgundy,  who  was  betrayed  and  killed 
by  his  aid-de-camp ;  the  other  for  his  daughter. 
Closed  at  Bruges  on  Saturday  Dec.  31st,  with 
*  Othello,'  and  departed  for  Ostend.  Our  large 
bills  had  to  be  stamped,  and  we  should  have  had 
to  pay  for  small  ones  ;  so,  to  avoid  that,  we  used 
printed  cards  in  the  form  of  invitations.  Opened 
at  Ostend  with  the  *  Soldier's  Daughter,'  and  '  Of 
age  To-morrow.' 

"  The  cathedral  is  poor  and  small ;  there  is  a  fig- 


IN  TEE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BR UTUS  BOOTH.       31 

Tire  of  the  Saviour  at  the  entrance,  surrounded  by 
skulls  and  bones.  The  Day  of  Innocents  is  a  fete, 
on  which  the  children  are  dressed  like  the  parents, 
and  command  ikem  as  children.  There  was  a  ball 
held  at  the  Hotel  de  Commerce,  on  the  quay.  I 
being  foohshly  curious,  went  there  after  the  play 
(which  was  Douglas),  first  in  the  disguise  of  a 
bear,  then,  being  tired  of  that,  changed  to  that  of 
a  countryman. 

"  We  threw  for  benefits ;  mine  fell  on  Monday, 
March  13th,  1815.  I  had  Col.  Hannerton's  pat- 
ronage, and  the  band  of  the  44th  Regiment. 
Pieces  were  '  Richard  III.'  and  '  Matrimony.' 
There  were  X  23  in  the  house ;  I  paid  Jonas 
£12.  On  Monday,  20th  March,  the  Prince  of 
Orange  was  proclaimed  King  of  Belgia. 

"  Received  my  bool«  from  London,  including  half 
a  guinea  in  gold.  Have  heard  frequently  from  my 
father.  On  Friday,  Louis  the  XYIII.  arrived  in 
a  chariot  and  six.  He  lodged  at  the  Green  House, 
in  Rue  de  la  Chapelle.  We  left  Ostend,  on  Fri- 
day, three  o'clock,  p.  m.,  by  the  London  Packet, 
Capt.  Small,  in  company  with  Anthony  Pasquin, 
Esq.,  Mrs.  and  Miss  Watson,  Burton,  Jonas,  etc. 
After  a  delightftil  passage  we  arrived  at  Graves- 


32       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

end,  Saturday  evening.  Were  obliged  to  go  to 
the  Alien  OflSce,  and  not  having  passports,  Dr. 
Williams  kindly  gave  his  name  to  the  commis- 
sioners, and  we  reached  the  Hermitage,  Wapping 
Wharf,  on  Monday,  April  3d. 

"  I  must  here  remark  that  ingratitude  is  the  most 
odious  of  all  the  vices :  while  at  home  and  on  ship- 
board my  heart  seldom  blessed  those  who  had 
reared  me  from  infancy,  but  was  filled  with  fantas- 
tic images  of  the  future.  I  never  reflected  on  the 
pain  and  anxiety  I  had  caused,  what  faults  I  had 
committed,  and  for  which  too  frequently  others 
suffered.  The  only  thing  that  reminded  me  of 
home  was  the  difference  of  treatment,  and  being 
compelled  to  associate  with  those  I  abhor.  I  do 
not  mean  to  include  all  the  performers,  but  by  the 
narrowness  of  our  finances  vfB  were  constrained  to 
associate  chiefly  together,  and  there  certainly  is  in 
theatrical  hfe  greater  friendship  or  greater  malice 
than  in  any  other.  When  obliged  to  disguise  the 
feelings  of  disgust  and  coercion,  life  becomes  miser- 
able. 

"  Les  passions  les  plus  dangereuse  quand  1' esprit 
n'est  pas  bien  employ d  se  levent  en  fermentation  et 
le  produit  est  une  coterie  d'id^es  excentriques  et 
des  desires  irreguliers." 


IN  TEE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BBUTUS  BOOTH.       33 


11. 

••  Come,  gifjt  ss  a  is&U  of  gour  ijualilg." 

AVING  experienced  the  vicissitudes  of  a 
strolling  player's  career,  and  encouraged 
by  the  approval  of"  many  persons  of  taste, 
my  father  yearned  to  test  his  talents  in  the 
metropolis.  He  appHed  for  an  engage- 
ment to  all  the  ^Drominent  London  mana- 
gers, among  them  Mr.  Harris,  of  Covent  Garden 
Theatre ;  but,  all  efforts  proving  ineffectual,  he  re- 
luctantly  accepted  an  engagement  at  the  Worthing 
and  Brighton  theatres,  which  commenced  in  the 
summer  of  1815,  under  the  management  of  Mr. 
Thomas  Trotter,  and  claimed  peculiar  attention 
and  applause  from  the  elegant  company  visiting 
those  fashionable  watering-places.  The  following 
letter  is  from  the  pen  of  the  celebrated  Anthony 
Pasquin,  Esq.  (Dr.  Williams),  who  was  ever  his 
admiring  friend. 

3    ^ 


34         PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

Bbussels,  June  9, 1815. 

Dear  Sir,  —  I  have  received  your  letter.  As  to  in- 
terfering further  between  you  and  Mr.  Harris,  I  have  only 
this  answer  to  return,  namely  that  he  is,  and  will  be,  the- 
governing  judge  of  what  concerns  his  theatre;  and  I  have 
done  all  that  I  can,  at  least  immediately,  do,  by  introducing 
you  to  his  notice.  The  rest  remains  with  yourself.  In  your 
engagement  at  Brighton  during  the  summer,  I  would  recom- 
mend it  to  you  to  play  some  of  your  best  parts,  such  as 
"  Richard  the  Third,"  "  Norval,"  "  Sir  Edward  Mortimer," 
but  particularly  Richard  for  your  benefit,  as  there  may  be 
many  eyes  directed  toward  you,  in  pursuance  of  the  favor- 
able report  which  I  deemed  it  necessary  to  make  of  your  ex- 
ertions. I  have  not  the  honor  to  know  Mr.  Trotter,  the 
manager,  but  am  persuaded  he  will  see  clearly  that  you  are 
far  above  the  common  class  of  theatrical  tyros. 

You  have  learning  and  a  proper  sense  of  your  present 
critical  situation ;  then  use  both  to  the  furtherance  of  your 
dramatic  reputation ;  but  do  not  attend  to  the  suggestion  of 
every  trifling  observer,  but  rather  act  from  your  own  feelings 
with  an  occasional  reference  to  that  great  model  of  real  per- 
fection in  many  characters,  Mr.  John  Kemble.  But  above 
all,  preserve  a  modest  demeanor,  though  you  may  feel  inter- 
nally vain,  as  all  men  have  vanity,  with  this  distinction,  that 
the  blockhead  renders  his  weakness  apparent,  and  the  sensi- 
ble man  does  not. 

I  shall  be  in  England,  in  all  probability,  before  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  winter  theatres.  When  you  arrive  at 
Brighton,  seek  for  a  Mr.  Sicklemar,  and  present  him  my 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       35 

kindest  remembrances,  for  he  is  truly  a  worthy  man,  and  his 
advice  and  protection  may  be  eminently  serviceable  to  you. 

We  are  all  in  a  state  of  military  bustle,  with  the  common 
enemy  at  our  gates. 

Believe  me  your  friend  and  very  humble  servant, 

J.  Williams. 

P.  S.    Keep  the  terms  of  your  engagement  a  secret ;,  and 
read  at  your  leisure  the  part  of"  Achmet "  in  "  Barbarossa." 

To  Mk.  Junius  Booth. 

My  father's  salary  at  the  Worthing  Theatre  was 
only  £\  10s.  per  week;  he  afterward  became 
prompter,  which  capacity  he  filled  until  October. 
Harley,  the  comedian,  was  a  member  of  this  com- 
pany. My  father  finally  succeeded  in  obtaining  a 
London  engagement,  and  was  announced  at 
Covent  Garden,  not  for  "  Richard,"  as  preceding 
circumstances  augured,  but  for  the  humble  part  of 
"  Silvius  "  in  "As  you  like  it." 

During  the  season  he  appeared  occasionally  in 
subordinate  characters,  receiving  a  salary  of  .£2 
per  week.  Those  who  witnessed  his  exertions  were 
surprised  that  the  managers  should  neglect  one  who 
gave  such  glowing  promise ;  and  several  of  his 
friends  were  strenuous  in  their  endeavors  to  have 
him  brought  forward  in  the  first  line  of  tragedy  \ 


36         PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

but  the  best  part  he  had  was  "  Henry  "  in  the  "  Maid 
and  the  Magpie." 

Thus  humbly  fulfilling  his  duties  under  a  pit- 
tance of  profit  and  less  of  fame,  he  met  with  con-? 
temptuous  coldness  from  all.  Miss  Sallie  Booth, 
the  actress,  wishing  to  avoid  the  assertion  of  her 
having  a  relative  in  such  an  inferior  position,  mod- 
estly suggested  to  him  that  an  e  final  to  his  name 
would  prevent  any  unpleasant  mistakes. 

At  the  close  of  the  season  my  father,  disappointed 
with  his.  London  experience  at  Covent  Garden,  and 
perceiving  that  nothing  like  advancement  awaited 
his  efforts,  again  joined  Mr.  Trotter  of  the  Worth- 
ing and  Brighton  theatres.  He  filled  the  capac- 
ity of  acting  manager  at  X2  2s.  per  week,  and 
a  benefit ;  but  owing  to  the  unpleasantness  of  his 
situation  and  frequent  disputes  with  the  manager, 
he  left,  not  caring  whither  he  wenK 

Previously  he  had  been  cast  for  "  Harlequin," 
but  was  prevented  playing  it  by  an  accident  at  the 
rehearsal,  which  confined  him  for  some  days  to  his 
room.  In  this  place  he  had  become  a  favorite  in 
consequence  of  his  performance  of  "  Fitzharding  " 
in  the  comedy  of  "  Smiles  and  Tears." 

On  leaving  the  Worthing  Theatre,  he  proceeded 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  J UNIUS  BRUTUS  BOO TH.      37 

to  Windsor,  but  as  if  fate  impelled  him  he  returned 
to  Worthing,  where  he  was  reengaged,  the  manager 
first  reducing  his  salary  to  XI  5s.  per  week.  He 
subsequently  performed  at  Brighton.  In  this  place 
Kean  was  advertised  for  the  part  of  "  Sir  Giles 
Overreach,"  but  not  arriving  from  London,  my 
father  undertook  the  character  at  a  short  notice. 

The  house  was  indifferently  attended  and  great 
disapprobation  manifested  on  his  entrance.  He 
had  spoken  only  a  few  lines  when  the  opinion 
of  his  presumption  gave  way  to  acclamations  of 
surprise  and  delight.  He  afterward  enacted  "  Ber- 
tram "  at  Worthing  with  increased  honors.  The 
warmth  and  applause  of  his  reception  overpowered 
his  feelings,  so  suddenly  had  he  gained  the  reward 
of  his  long  exertions.  His  rendition  of  "  Richard  " 
was  greatly  eulogized,  and  his  genius  at  length  dis- 
cerned and  applauded. 

Congratulatory  letters  flowed  in  from  all  quar- 
ters. Those  inserted  are  from  persons  of  condition 
and  acknowledged  taste. 

Nov.  1. 
Sir,  —  I  shall  be  much  obliged  to  you  if  you  will  inform 
me  by  return  of  post  Tyhere  you  perform,  and  what  characters, 
on  Monday,  Tuesday,  and  Wednesday  next.   On  either,  per- 


38        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

haps  all,  of  these  days,  I  should  endeavor  to  make  it  my  busi- 
ness to  see  you  perform.  I  should  like  to  see  you  play  the 
part  of  a  villain,  if  possible.  If  my  name  be  unknown  to 
you,  I  beg  leave  to  say  that  I  am  connected  with  Drury  Lane 
Theatre,  and  have  heard  Madame  Storace  speak  in  your 
praise.  .  • 

I  am  your  obedient  servant, 

Douglas  Kinkaird. 


East  Cliff,  Nov.  9. 

Sir,  —  It  is  impossible  for  any  words  of  mine  to  do  justice 
to  the  delight  and  admiration  I  experienced  in  witnessing 
your  performance  of  last  night.  It  was  indeed  the  most  fin- 
ished piece  of  acting.  Believe  me,  you  could  not  make  the 
slightest  alteration  in  any  part  of  it  without  injury.  I  un- 
derstand you  have  never  seen  Mr.  Kean  in  the  character 
of  Bertram,  and  I  readily  believe  this,  as  there  was  not  any- 
thing th^t  bore  the  slightest  resemblance  to  imitation  of  that 
great  actor.  It  was  all  entirely  your  own,  and  I  regret  the 
limits  of  a  letter  will  not  allow  my  running  over  every  scene 
separately,  that  you  might  be  convinced  how  sensible  I  am 
to  the  genius,  the  judgment,  thq  feeling  you  evinced  through- 
out the  whole  of  this  arduous  character. 

Had  you  been  before  a  London  audience,  the  enthusiastic 
applause  you  would  have  received  from  so  many  hundreds  as 
are  there  met  together,  would  have  rendered  useless  this  trib- 
ute of  praise  and  admiration  I  thus  offer  you.      But  as  in 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BR UTUS  BOOTH.       39 

this  place  the  theatre  has  been  poorly  attended,  and  as  real 
merit  is  often  too  diffident  of  its  own  worth,  I  not  only  grat- 
ify my  own  feelings,  by  endeavoring  to  show  you  the  pleas- 
ure I  have  received  each  time  —  but  most  of  all  leist  night  — 
from  your  performance,  but  I  also  desire  to  aid  the  many 
friends  you  already  have,  in  inspiring  you  with  that  confi- 
dence in  your  own  powers  which  will  render  you  equally  at 
home  in  every  character  you  undei'take,  as  you  have  been  in 
those  I  have  hitherto  had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing,  and  ap- 
prehensive of  no  ordeal  through  which  you  must  pass  before 
you  have  opportunity  of  rising  to  that  fame  and  fortune  to 
which  your  transcendent  merit  so  justly  entitles  you, 
_With  sincere  wishes  for  your  prosperity, 
I  remain  yours, 

Jaxe  Chambebs. 


40        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 


III. 

■s 

♦*  W\m  <SmIis  jointir  (Smfes,  i\m  feas  i\t  iug  of  bar." 

ijT  the  suggestion  of  the  Honorable  Mrs. 
Chambers,  Lord  Erskine,  Garrow,  Dr. 
Williams,  and  others,  Mr.  Harris  of  Co- 
vent  Garden  was  induced  to  give  my  father 
a  trial  night  at  his  theatre.  The  letter, 
announcing  that  he  would  be  advertised 
for  "  Richard,"  passed  him  on  his  way  to  London. 
He  was  greatly  astonished  to  find  his  name  in  the 
bills,  having  written  to  every  manager  in  the  king- 
dom for  an  engagement.  On  February  12th  he 
enacted  "  Richard  HI."  at  Covent  Garden  Theatre. 


"  Upon  the  conclusion  of  the  play,  the  audience  stood  up 
waving  their  hats,  and  insisted  on  '  Richard  the  Third '  being 
repeated  the  next  in  preference  to  the  '  Midsummer  Night's 
Dream,*  which  had  been  announced.  The  manager  acqui- 
escing with  the  public  request,  Mr.  Booth  personified  Shak- 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BR UTUS  BOOTH.        41 

speare's  tyrant,  on  the  Thiu-sday  evening  for  the  second  time, 
and  was  flattered  again  by  his  auditors  calling  for  a  repeti- 
tion of  the  character  upon  the  succeeding  night." 


His  friends,  while  rejoicing  in  his  success,  per- 
suaded him  to  defer  further  repetition  in  conse- 
quence of  the  great  excitement  and  fatigue  he  had 
undergone ;  and,  as  no  definite  engagement  had  been 
effected,  a  friend  advised  him  to  demand  proper 
terms.  Mr.  Harris  referred  to  the  salary  received 
by  Mr.  Booth  the  former  season,  namely  ^2,  and 
proposed  to  pay  him  <£5.  This  was  declined,  and 
a  controversy  arose,  which  ended  by  Mr.  Booth 
desiring  that  his  name  should  be  omitted  in  the 
bills  for  Monday. 

Mr.  Edmund  Kean,  of  the  rival  theatre,  hearing 
of  this  misunderstanding,  immediately  visited  my 
father  in  his  "  chariot,"  overwhelmed  him  with  con- 
gratulations, and  told  him  "  to  jump  in,  —  he  had 
got  an  engagement  for  him."  He  drove  at  once  to 
the  committee-room  of  the  Drury  Lane  Theatre. 
Lord  Essex,  Mr.  Wilson,  and  Mr.  Lamb,  were  here 
assembled.  A  memorandum  was  hastily  drawn 
up,  which  my  father  was  as  hurriedly  induced  to 
sign,  not  being  allowed  time  for  quiet  reflection  or 


42       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

advice.  These  gentlemen  in  their  friendly  conver- 
sation dwelt  on  the  ill  reception  of  his  proposal  by 
Mr.  Harris,  and  assured  him  that  he  would  be. 
thought  of  no  more,  as  they  had  already  omitted 
his  name  in  their  bills.  Accordingly  he  dismissed 
it  from  his  mind,  and  now  considered  himself  free 
from  Covent  -Garden  Theatre,  and  duly  engaged 
at  Diniry  Lane.  Mr.  Harris  subsequently  went  to 
the  committee  and  expostulated,  but  in  vain. 

On  February  the  20th  my  father  played  "  lago  " 
to  Mr.  Kean  and  others  at  Drury  Lane  Theatre. 
The  house  was  crowded  to  the  utmost,  and  the  ex- 
citement at  its  height.  The  two  players  bravely 
contested  the  crown,  and  the  laurel  wavered  be- 
tween them.  Now  some  well-known  points  of 
their  established  favorite  would  awaken  shouts  of 
applause,  and  then  a  glance,  a  gesture,  an  insinua- 
tion, would  cause  a  rapturous  outburst  in  favor  of 
the  "  stripling." 

An  English  theatrical  work  of  1825  says,  — 

"  Booth's  entree  at  the  very  opening  of  the  scene  was  hailed 
with  the  most  flattering  plaudits,  and  by  a  house  crowded  to 
suffocation.  When  Kean  and  Booth  entered  together,  the 
applause  was  electrical.  The  circumstance  itself  is  only  par- 
alleled by  the  conjunction  of  Garrick  and  Quin ;  and  our 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       43 

modern  performers  looked  at  one  another  and  then  at  their 
auditors,  as  if  uncertain  what  to  do.  At  length,  after  Keaa 
had  bowed  at  least  half-a-dozen  times,  they  stood  closely  to- 
gether and  indicated  their  gratitude  by  both  bowing  very 
respectfully  to  the  whole  house.  Kean  on  this  occasion  out- 
did all  his  former  outdoings ;  and,  though  lago '  is  not  a 
part  for  applause,  Booth  elicited  it  in  every  scene." 

The  piece  was  announced  for  repetition  with  ap- 
plause as  enthusiastic  as  was  ever  heard  within  the 
walls  of  a  theatre. 

Mr.  Kean,  the  acknowledged  king  of  tragedy, 
did  not  intend  to  allow  a  continuation  of  this  rival- 
ship.  He  had  previously  seen  the  power  of  his 
adversary,  and  merely  proffered  him  a  taste  of  adu- 
lation and  success  before  attempting  his  downfall. 
It  is  needless  to  explain  that  in  the  signing  of  that 
fatal  memorandum,  Mr.  Kean  had  covert  design. 
He  knew  the  contents  in  their  literal  and  technical 
signification,  and  Mr.  Booth  did  not. 

Importuned  as  he  was  by  a  powerful  enemy,  so 
newly  changed  into  his  warmest  friend,  in  a  mo- 
ment of  gratefulness  and  impulse  he  signed  the 
paper,  which  placed  him  at  the  mercy  of  Kean. 
The  scheme  was  soon  developed,  as  Mr.  Booth 
received  the  startling  information  that  he  would 


44         PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

not  be  allowed  to  play  any  of  Mr.  Kean's  parts, 
"Richard,"  "Hamlet,"  "Bertram,"  "Sir  Giles 
Overreach,"  etc,  but  that  he  was  to  perform  "  Rich- 
mond "  on  Thursday  to  Mr.  Kean's  "  Richard," 
which  was  in  direct  violation  of  his  engagement. 

In  the  publication  of  these  unfortunate  events, 
many  gentlemen,  who  were  spoken  of  as  Mr. 
Booth's  friends,  proved  to  be  his  secret  enemies. 
Their  conciliatory  manner  might  have  been  deemed 
politic,  at  the  time,  and,  under  existing  circum- 
stances judicious  ;  but  I  transcribe  from  a  truthful 
record,  indited  with  many  a  heartache,  and  in  the 
hopeful  endeavor  to  do  justice  to  a  name  so  long 
maligned. 

In  the  floating  pamphlets  of  that  time,  Messrs. 
Salter  and  Pope  are  repeatedly  called  "  Mr.  Booth's 
friends."  In  his  own  writing,  they  are  more 
strongly  designated  as  "  My  evil  genius,"  and 
"  Satan's  aid-de-camp."  He  says :  "  My  offence 
was  trifling,  —  being  the  effect  of  a  grateful  im- 
pulse and  imagined  incivility ;  but  Salter's  and 
Pope's  of  magnitude,  —  for  never  were  wretches 
more  assiduous  in  their  attempts  to  corrupt  the 
morals  of  youth."  Kean,  also,  Judas-like,  be- 
trayed with  a  show  of  kindness,  although  the  men- 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       45 

tion  of  liis  name  merely^  in  later  years,  elicited 
from  my  father  a  burst  of  genuine  praise  and  un- 
selfish admiration. 

Oxberry's  Dramatic  Biography,  in  alluding  to 
this  event,  remarks :  — 

"  Those  who  are  inclined  to  believe  that  Edmund  Kean 
did  all  this  from  feeling  toward  Mr.  Booth,  are  welcome  to 
retain  their  opinions;  but  we  beg  leave  to  differ.  That 
Eean  wished  Booth  to  have  a  competent  salary,  we  believe ; 
but  that  he  also  wished  and  intended  to  crush  any  hope  of 
rivalry  on  his  part,  we  are  absolutely  sure.  During  his  ca- 
reer, Mr.  Kean  has  never  suffered  any  performer  to  have  a 
chance  of  eclipsing  him  in  public  favor ;  he  threw  up  '  Man- 
uel,' because  Rae  was  so  excellent  in  '  De  Zelos,*  —  he  would 
not  perform  in  the  '  Italians,'  because  he  feared  to  stand  be- 
side Miss  Kelley's  '  Page  ; '  and  he  would  not  allow  David 
Fisher  to  play  *  Hamlet '  for  his  own  benefit." 

Excitement  was  now  at  its  height,  and  placards 
were  teeming  with  admiration  of  the  "Moor"  and 
his  "Ancient."  The  rival  players  were  the  prin- 
cipal topic  of  conversation  ;  and  parties  were  known 
as  the  Keanites  and  the  JBoothites. 

At  the  time  of  receiving  the  information  from 
Drury  Lane  that  he  was  no  longer  to  appear  in 
equal  parts  with  Kean,  he  was  also  notified  by  Mr. 
V 


46       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

Harris,  that  his  engagement  at  Covent  Garden 
was  not  legally  ended.  Suffering  from  bodily 
weakness  and  long-continued  worry  of  mind,  these 
new  distresses  wrought  upon  his  excitability  so  as 
to  unnerve  him  for  further  struggle. 

He  was  induced,  by  Mr.  Salter,  to  decline  play- 
ing "  lago,"  and  a  note  was  despatched  to  Mr.  Rae, 
to  that  effect.  This  was  at  three  o'clock,  —  in  full 
time  for  a  change  of  performance,  or  a  placarded 
apology  for  Mr.  Booth's  non-appearance  in  the 
evening.  Salter  then  hurried  him  off  to  Totten- 
ham, where  he  remained  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Pope, 
solicitor,  until  Sunday,  two  o'clock. 

The  theatre  was  crowded,  on  the  following  even- 
ing, to  witness  the  repetition  of  "  Othello  ; "  but  the 
manager  came  forward  to  explain  the  absence  of 
Mr.  Booth.  He  stated  that  Mr.  Kean  would  as- 
sume the  part  of  "  lago,"  and  he  (Mr.  Rae)  would 
play  "  Othello."  Late  in  the  evening,  the  following 
letter  was  dispatched  to  the  managers  of  Drury 
Lane : — 

Gentlemen,  —  In  an  unguarded  moment,  I  quitted  Covent 
Garden  Theatre  (where  the  most  eligible  situation  for  the  ex- 
ertion of  my  professional  talents  was  open  to  me),  to  go  over 
to  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  where  I  have  since  found,  to  my 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  J UNIUS  BR UTU8  BOOTH.        47 

cost,  that  every  character  which  I  was  ever  desirous  or  capa- 
ble of  playing  was  already  in  possession,  and  that  there  was 
no  chance  of  my  appearing  in  the  same.  What  occasion, 
therefore,  could  you  have  for  me,  unless  to  crush  any  talent 
that  I  may  possess  in  its  infancy  ? 

I  have  seen  through  my  error,  and  have,  therefore,  re- 
newed the  negotiation,  which  was  so  unfortunately  inter- 
rupted, with  the  proprietors  of  the  Covent  Garden,  and  have 
just  signed  a  regular  article  with  them,  for  three  years.  Con- 
sequently, I  have  no  longer  the  power  of  appearing  again  at 
Drury  Lane,  and  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  take  my 
name  entirely  out  of  your  bills. 

Your  humble  servant, 

J.  B.  Booth. 


48        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 


IV. 

'  W^  Jortnne  mesns  to  stcn  most  goob,  s^e  looks  npon  l^tm  fint^ 
a  t^watminjj  tjtt" 

NE  of  the  most  disgraceful  riots  ensued 
which  ever  occurred  in  a  civihzed  com- 
munity. For  a  pardonable  offence,  a  cit- 
izen was  judged  by  his  enemies  and  con- 
demned by  a  hired  mob.  Although  from 
first  to  last  he  endeavored  to  apologize 
and  explain  without  obtaining  credence  or  atten- 
tion, yet  he  withstood  their  displeasure  bravely. 
It  is  almost  incredible  at  this  day  that  a  man 
could  be  so  foully  wronged,  and  justice  and  the 
law  so  heedless  of  redress.  The  first  theatres  in 
London  were  the  scenes  of  the  most  revolting 
riots,  and  the  subjects  of  a  fierce  newspaper  war, 
while  the  hirelings  of  the  rival  theatres,  endeav- 
ored to  deprive  a  defenceless  citizen  of  fame,  posi- 
tion, and  the  means  of  livelihood. 

An  excited  audience  awaited  the  entrance  of 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       49 

my  father  as  "  Richard,"  on  Tuesday  evening,  at 
Covent  Garden  Theatre.  Applause  and  hisses 
assailed  him,  and  for  a  time  the  tumult  was  deaf- 
ening. Quiet  was  gradually  restored,  and  after 
many  interruptions  the  play  ended  amid  a  confu- 
sion of  plaudits  and  faint  sounds  of  hostility. 

As  the  slightest  sound  of  disapproval  is  more 
hurtful  to  an  actor's  feelings  than  applause  is  grat- 
ifying, my  father  made  an  appeal  to  the  public 
through  the  columns  of  the  press.  The  cringing 
tone  of  the  numerous  placards,  apologies,  and  let- 
ters then  extant,  would  lead  one  to  conjecture  he 
had  erred  grievously.  They  were  obviously  the 
design  of  anxious  managers  to  protect  their  prop- 
erty and  quell  the  disturbance. 

This  period  of  intense  theatrical  excitement 
proved  also  a  week  of  vital  importance  to  the 
interests  of  the  community  at  large,  as  it  witnessed 
the  suspension  of  the  Habeas  Corpus  Act. 

On  Saturday,  1st  of  March,  he  again  performed 
"  Richard,"  to  an  overflowing  house.  His  entrance 
awakened  the  most  rapturous  cheering,  mingled 
with  hisses ;  wreaths,  and  bouquets,  and  boughs  of 
laurel  fell  around  him,  which  elicited  groans  and 
hootings  from  his  enemies.     A  paper  was  thrown 

4 


60         PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

from  the  pit,  containing  a  desire  for  him  to  explain 
and  apologize.  It  was  perused  by  him  and  re- 
sponded to  immediately :  — 

"Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  —  I  have  endeavored  all  in  my 
power  to  atone  for  the  disappointment  to  which  I  was  instru- 
mental in  another  place.  I  have  apologized  for  my  conduct 
on  that  occasion,  and  endeavored  to  explain  the  circum- 
stances under  which  that  conduct  was  influenced.  I  now 
again  most  humbly  and  sincerely  repeat  my  apology." 

The  play  then  continued,  frequently  interrupted 
by  shouts  and  hisses,  and  at  the  close,  h.e  was  called 
for  by  general  acclamation.  Mr.  Faucet  appeared 
and  announced  a  repetition  of  the  performance  on 
the  following  Monday.  The  admiration  excited 
by  my  father's  unquestioned  ability,  liis  youthful 
appearance,  and  dignified  bearing,  tended  greatly 
to  allay  the  storm  of  opposition,  and  on  the  3d 
and  6th  of  March,  he  repeated  "  Richard  "  to  over- 
flowing houses. 

My  father  was  accused  of  being  an  imitator 
of  Kean.  In  stature  and  appearance,  the  resem- 
blance was  striking ;  the  faces  of  both  were  pre-em- 
inently handsome,  of  classical  regularity,  and  pos- 
sessing great  mobility  of  feature.  Their  tempera- 
ment was  similar,  both  being  impulsive  and  ener- 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.        61 

getic,  copying  nature  with  rigid  truthfulness,  and 
having  that  intensity  of  feehng  by  which  the  actor 
is  merged  in  the  character  personified.  This  com- 
plete abandonment  of  individuality,  the  surest  trait 
of  innate  genius,  was  the  distinguishing  peculiarity 
of  each ;  consequently,  both  naturally  adopted  the 
same  style  of  acting,  founded  on  that  of  Cooke, 
yet  possessing  all  the  chaste  and  classical  embodi- 
ment of  the  Kemble  school.  The  similarity  of 
temperament  can  more  clearly  explain  that  un- 
avoidable sameness  of  taste  and  production  fre- 
quently evinced  by  poets,  painters,  and  actors,  than 
any  argument  that  can  be  used  to  disprove  the 
assertion  of  imitation. 

From  "  Some  Account  of  the  English  Stage, 
from  1670  to  1830,"  1  extract  the  following, 
which  alludes  to  this  theatrical  riot :  — 

"Kean  -wrote  a  foolish  letter  about  -what  was  called  the 
Wolf  Club,  and  said  it  waS  no  longer  in  existence.  Probably 
not,  but  it  is  clear  from  what  happened  to  Meggett  at  the 
Haymarket  in  1815,  that  there  was  some  combination  among 
Kean's  friends,  to  prevent  any  new  performer  from  succeed- 
ing in  "  Richard  III." 

My  father  repeated  the  character  of  "  Richard 
III,"  and  "  Sir  GUes  Overreach,"  alternately,  until 


52      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

March  15tli,  when  he  appeared  as  "  Posthumous," 
in  "  CymbeHne."  During  the  month  he  enacted 
"  Fitz-harding,"  in  "  Smiles  and  Tears,"  '*  Rinal- 
do,"  in  the  "  Conquest  of  Torranto,"  and  "  Sir 
Edward,"  in  the  "  Iron  Chest."  He  was  nightly 
greeted  with  enthusiastic  audiences.  "  Cymbe- 
line  "  was  produced  with  Booth  as  "  Posthumous," 
Young  as  "  lachamo,"  Kemble  as  "  Polydore." 
The  following,  on  his  rendition  of  "  Posthumous," 
is  one  of  the  numerous  flattering  criticisms  of  the 
day:  — 

"  In  his  impassioned  scenes,  even  in  the  height  of  grief,  of 
rage,  of  jealousy,  and  despair,  he  never  oversteps  the  bounds 
of  nature.  Nothing  can  be  finer  than  his  acting  those  scenes 
of  torture  which  occur  in  the  character  of  '  Posthumous ; '  and 
his  delivery  of  the  kist  speech  in  that  character  is  in  the 
highest  degree  natural  and  impressive ;  but  we  shall  be  more 
struck  with  his  merits  when  we  consider  the  common  defects 
from  which  he  is  exempt.  He  has  no  measured  cadences, 
no  unnatural  pauses,  no  affectation,  no  vulgarisms  of  speech, 
no  quaint  inflections,  which  even  the  best  actors  are  so  apt 
to  fall  into. 

"  His  emphasis  is  seldom  wrong ;  he  never  overacts  his 
part ;  his  representation  is  always  natural,  and  if  he  be  some- 
times wanting  in  grace,  or  propriety  of  attitude,  there  is  no 
dry  stiffness  of  manner,  —  he  is  at  least  easy,  and  it  is  only 
wonderful  that  his  faults  should  be  so  trifling  and  so  sure  of 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.        53 

amendment.  Indeed,  to  dwell  on  such  blemishes  in  an  actor 
of  one-and-twenty  would  be  like  criticizing  the  figure  of  a 
passing  cloud ;  before  we  can  trace  its  outline,  no  trace  of 
it  remains." 

The  following  letter  is  from  the  pen  of  the  cele- 
brated William  Godwin,  father-in-law  of  Shelley, 
and  author  of  "  Caleb  William :  "  — 

Skinner  Street,  Feb.  27,  1817. 

Sir,  —  I  witnessed  3rour  performance  of  "  Richard"  and 
"  lago,"  and  you  may,  perhaps,  not  be  displeased  with  receiv- 
ing hints  and  remarks  from  a  person  of  .old  experience  in 
matters  of  taste  and  literature.  With  your  "  Richard  "  I  was 
not  altogether  pleased.  You  got  through  it  with  too  much 
bustle,  activity,  and  energy,  and  were  rewarded  with  almost 
unexampled  applause;  but  it  appeared  to  me  a  represen- 
tation rather  of  promise  than  of  that  full  conception  and 
meditation  I  long  for  in  a  performer. 

Yoiu"  "  lago  "  struck  me  very  differently,  —  I  mean  in  the 
third  act  of  the  play,  for  the  rest  was  not  excellent.  I  have 
seen  Garrick  and  most  of  the  performers  of  the  last  age, 
but  I  confess  that  on  that  evening  I  saw  something  new.  I 
never  before  saw  a  scene  in  which  two  male  performers 
fairly  divided  the  crown,  and  so  completely  kept  up  the  ball 
between  them,  as  to  produce  all  the  best  effects  of  Il- 
lusion. Your  tones  of  insinuation,  in  particular  when  you 
infuse  the  poison  of  jealousy  into  Othello,  were  so  true,  that 
by  my  faith,  I  felt  "  this  tale  might  have  won  my  credit  too." 


64       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

I  immediately  became  impressed  with  the  persuasion,  this 
Booth  will  make  a  real  actor !  I  set  down  these  things  be- 
cause, as  you  are  a  very  young  man,  they  may  be  of  use  to 
you.  But  I  should  not  have  troubled  you  with  this  letter, 
were  it  not  for  the  particular  situation  in  which  you  now 
stand.  You  have  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  common 
frequenters  of  the  theatre.  I  know  not  how  the  contest 
may  terminate,  but  I  write  earnestly  to  recommend  to  you 
not  to  be  cast  down  if  the  event  be  unfavorable.  I  shall  be 
the  loser  if  this  brutal  outcry  drives  you  from  the  London 
stage,  but  you  will  not  be  the  loser.  The  whole  British  do- 
minions will  be  before  you,  which  you  may  visit  with  undi- 
minished fame.  You  are  not  driven  from  us  for  any  defect 
in  your  profession.  The  shortness  of  your  career  will  only 
have  rendered  it  more  illustrious  in  the  eyes  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  distant  parts.  You  will  be  what  in  your  profession 
is  technically  called  a  star  ;  and  country-playing,  under  such 
circumstances,  is,  I  believe,  more  profitable  than  playing  in 
London.  You  will  then  return  to  us  after  a  yejir  or  two, 
improved  in  your  profession,  and  unanimously  and  raptur- 
ously welcomed,  even  by  those  persons  who  are  now  most 
eager  in  exploding  you. 

I  am,  sir, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

William  Godwin. 

It  is  a  received  opinion,  although  an  erroneous 
one,  that  these  occurrences  banished  my  father 
from  the  London  stage.     He  successfully  pursued 


m  THE  LIFE  OF  J UNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.        55 

his  engagement  at  Covent  Garden,  and  afterward 
played  frequently  at  the  city  theatres.  Although 
his  fault  was  insignificant  in  itself,  it  was  of  mo- 
ment to  his  detractors,  as  the  riots  materially 
injured  him  in  a  professional  view,  and  created  a 
longing  for  a  wider  field  of  action. 


56         PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 


V. 


"  ITo  petrf-up  ^fflira  tonlrarfs  gonr  pofotw, 
Igat  l^t  bi^ah  boxmtshsa  caniintnt  is  gaara." 


N  the  31st  of  March,  1817,  my  father  per- 
formed "  Richard  III.,"  at  Woolwich  ;  on 
the  3d  of  April,  "Othello;"  and  on  Satur- 
day, 19th  of  April,  he  played  "  Sir  Edward 
Mortimer  "  in  three  different  towns.  At 
eleven,  a.  m.,  he  played  at  Cirencester ;  at 
four,  p.  M.,  in  Gloster;  and  at  eight  o'clock,  in 
Cheltenham.  For  this  arduous  achievement,  he  re- 
ceived about  X30.  This  provincial  tour  ended  on 
the  13th 'of  December.  Total  of  shares,  X1124 
16s.  On  the  7th  of  April,  1818,  he  played  at 
Stratford-on-Avon.  • 

This  lovely  little  town  —  so  admired  by  the 
tourist,  so  universally  sought  by  scholar,  poet,  and 
divine  —  has  ever  been  a  spot  of  peculiar  reverence 
to  the  actor.     With  more  than  ordinary  tender- 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.        67 

ness,  he  esteems  the  privilege  of  standing  on  this 
soil  as  portion  of  his  birthright.  The  air  to  him  is 
filled  with  images  of  various  plays,  more  weird  and 
fantastic  than  visions  of  Walpurgis  Night;  his 
mind  teems  with  well-known  passages,  while  quo- 
tations, apt  and  beautiful,  fall  from  his  tongue,  and 
he  feels  what  a  glorious  honor  has  been  bequeathed 
this  particular  art,  not  alone  by  the  hfe-long  de- 
votion of  the  immortal  mind,  but,  also,  by  the 
proud  assurance  that  Shakspeare  was  an  actor! 

It  was  solely  for  the  singular  gratification  of  per- 
forming in  this  place  of  rare  remembrances,  that 
induced  my  father  (as,  doubtless,  others  have  been 
similarly  influenced)  to  personate  the  characters 
of  "  Richard  "  and  "  Shylock  "  in  the  little  theatre 
at  Stratford.  To  a  mind  so  peculiarly  attuned  to 
melancholy  as  his,  how  impressive  must  have 
been  the  solemn  grandeur  of  that  sacred  edifice 
where  the  immortal  poet  hes !  — 

We  enter  the  holy  of  holies ; 

Pause  here,  — 
For  this  is  the  high-priest  of  nature, 

Shakspeare  ! 
We  cannot  divine  the  full  feeling 
Our  innermost  spirit  revealing, 
And  baffling  ali.art  of  concealing. 


58        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

Not  the  sanctity  power  has  left 

O'er  the  place, 
(Dust  will  all  grandeur  despoil 

And  erase,) 
But  the  creatures  his  pencil  has  wrought, 
And  the  wisdom  his  genius  has  taught, 
Will  live  while  the  Mind  hdds  a  thought 

Man's  heart  was  the  book  nature  gave 

To  her  son. 
And  Time  has  attested  the  work 

Nobly  done. 
Though  ages  have  passed  since  his  birth, 
Two  worlds  are  recounting  his  worth, 
And  hail  him  the  monarch  of  earth. 

In  July,  ray  father  made  his  first  appearance  in 
Glasgow  and  Edinburgh,  where  he  played  most 
successful  engagements.  Afterward,  he  visited 
nearly  all  the  principal  cities,  and  re-appeared  in 
London  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  at  Covent  Garden 
Theatre  ;  and  repeatedly  performed  "  Richard  "  and 
"  lago."  This  engagement  terminated  on  the  4th 
of  November,  1818  ;  and,  after  playing  in  several 
of  the  English  towns,  he  proceeded  to  Dublin, 
where  he  performed  eight  nights  most  success- 
fully, notwithstanding  it  was  the  Lenten  season. 
His  share  of  receipts  was  X104  58.     He  visited, 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       59 

on  his  return,  Bridgeworth,  Newport,  Scarborough, 
Beverly,  York,  etc. ;  and  at  some  of  the  towns  in- 
cluded in  this  tour,  the  receipt  of  £j\  is  marked 
for  the  difficult  performance  of  "  Sir  Edward  Mor- 
timer "  and  "  Jerry  Sneak." 

The  theatres,  Drury  Lane  and  Covent  Garden, 
for  years  had  possessed  the  exclusive  privilege  of 
producing  Shaksperian  plays,  by  a  patent  con- 
ferred upon  them  by  the  crowTi.  The  minor 
theatres,  although  conducted  with  as  much  liber- 
ality as  their  more  favored  rivals,  were  obliged  to 
confine  themselves  to  melo-drama. 

But  the  exclusive  monopoly  of  the  "  Immortal 
Bard"  by  the  patent  theatres  was  often  disputed 
by  the  Transpontine  houses,  which,  in  their  pro- 
duction of  Shakspeare's  plays,  resorted  to  the  in- 
troduction of  melodramatic  music,  and  sundry 
alterations  and  curtailments,  thereby  avoiding  the 
strict  letter  of  the  law.  My  father  broke  through 
the  established  rules  by  performing  "  Richard  the 
Third  "  at  the  Coburg  Theatre,  in  Dec.  1819,  for 
six  successive  nights,  and  "  Horatius,"  in  the 
"  Horatii  "  and  "  Curatii,"  on  the  following  seven. 

The  run  of  this  piece  was  interrupted  by  the 
death  of  the  Duke  of  Kent,  in  respect  to  whose 


60        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

memory  the  theatre  was  closed  on  Jan.  24th.  Upon 
its  re-opening,  my  father  performed  "  Brutus  "  in 
the  "  Fall  of  Tarquin  "  for  five  consecutive  nights, 
when  all  amusements  were  again  interrupted  by 
the  death  of  George  the  Third.  During  the  month 
of  March,  he  visited  Aberdeen,  and  returned  to 
London  to  resume  his  engagement  at  the  Coburg, 
which  theatre  opened  on  Easter  Monday,  April 
3d,  with  the  "  Crusaders  "  and  a  pantomime.  On 
the  6th,  Mr.  Harris,  of  Covent  Garden  Theatre, 
proposed  for  Mr.  Booth  to  play  "  Lear "  for  six 
nights. 

The  tragedy  of  "  Lear  "  was  in  especial  requisi- 
tion, having  been  long  removed  from  the  stage  by 
royal  command,  as  the  madness  of  Lear  was  similar 
to  the  disorder  of  the  late  king.  The  consent  of 
Mr.  Glossop,  the  Coburg  manager,  was  obtained, 
and  Lear  was  accordingly  produced,  on  the  13th 
of  April,  1820,  with  the  following  cast :  — 

Lear,, Mr.  Booth. 

Edgar, C.  Kemble. 

Edmund, W.  C.  Macready. 

Kent, Fawcett. 

Cordelia, Miss  S.  Booth. 


[N  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       61 


VI. 


**  Steo  stars  \jx^  not  t^eiz  motion  in  one  spl^tct." 


Jr.  BOOTH'S  «  Lear*  proved  one  of  the 
proudest  efforts  of  his  genius.  His  execu- 
tion of  his  character  was  transcendently 
beautiful.  It  requires  no  ordinary  mind  to 
properly  conceive  it.  The  scene  in  which 
he  is  turned  out  to  bide  the  pelting  of  the 
pitiless  storm  is  one  of  terrific  grandeur.  How  ad- 
mirably Booth  represented  the  scene,  no  one  who 
ever  witnessed  him  can  forget ;  and  his  recitation 
of  the  following  passage,  amidst  the  storm  and 
darkness,  was  sublime :  — 


" '  Blow  vdnd  and  crack  j'our  cheeks !  rage  !  blowl 
You  cataracts  and  hurricanoes,  spout 
Till  you  have  drench'd  our  steeples  I 
You  sulph'rous  and  thought-executing  fires, 
Vaunt  couriers  to  oak-cleaving  thunderbolts, 
Singe  my  white  head.' " 


62        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

"  Lear  "  was  represented  three  nights  a  week  for 
several  successive  weeks.  In  consequence  of  the 
injunction  laid  against  the  minor  theatres,  prohibit- 
ing them  from  playing  the  regular  drama,  Mr. 
Glossop  brought  out  "  Lear  of  Private  Life,"  a 
piece  constructed  on  Father  and  Daughter,  a  tale 
by  Mrs.  Opie.  Mr.  Glossop  effected  an  engage- 
ment with  my  father  to  play  "  Fitzharding  "  in  this 
piece  three  nights  a  week,  being  the  "  off  nights  " 
of  his  engagement  at  Coveiit  Garden. 

"  For  weeks,  the  Coburg  was  filled  with  large  and  enthu- 
siastic audiences,  where  tears  were  an  acknowledgment  of 
the  power  of  this  master  of  the  passions ;  while,  on  alternate 
nights,  the  boxes  of  Covent  Garden  were  lined  with  the 
beauty  and  fashion  of  London." 

He  played  "  Fitzharding  "  fifty-three  nights,  and 
for  his  benefit  on  the  29th  of  May,  1820,  "  The 
Medusa's  Wreck  "  was  performed,  a  scene  from 
"  Lear  in  Private  Life,"  and  the  new  pantomime 
of  "  Fortunio,"  It  was  during  this  engagement  at 
Covent  Garden,  in  the  characters  of  "  Lear  "  and 
"  Jerry  Sneak,"  that  my  mother  first  saw  him. 
He  often  repeated  the  pleasantry  between  them 
when  she  discovered  that  he  was  actually  "that 
poor,  little  old  man." 


.    IN  TEE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       63 

He  visited  Norwich,  Rochester,  and  Maid- 
stone, playing  a  few  nights  in  each  place ;  and,  on 
the  25th  of  July,  he  opened  at  Cheltenham,  played 
five  nights,  and  one  night  at  Gloucester,  where  he 
took  the  stage-coach  for  Ludlow.  Here  he  gives 
a  memorandum  of  a  death?  "A  lady,  alone  and 
apparently  friendless,  expired  in  the  coach ;  the 
scene  was  very  touching.  We  carried  her  for  six 
miles.  The  remembrance  sadly  affected  my  act- 
ing that  night,  for  the  suddenness  of  death  com- 
pletely unnerved  me.  Played  '  Octavian '  and 
'Bertram'  badly." 

In  August,  Mr.  Kean  played  a  round  of  char- 
acters previous  to  his  departure  for  America,  and. 
father  appeared  at  Drury  Lane  with  him,  enacting 
"  lago"  to  his  "  Othello,"  "  Edgar  "  to  his"  Lear," 
"  Pierre  "  to  his  "  JafHer."  In  October,  my  father 
played  several  characters  in  Reading,  visited  Wey- 
mouth, etc. ;  and  appeared  at  Drury  Lane  Theatre 
under  Elliston's  management  on  the  4th  of  Novem- 
ber. He  played  a  great  number  of  characters; 
among  them,  "  Lear,"  several  times  ;  and  "  Ope- 
chancanough,"  an  Indian  chief,  in  an  American 
drama.  "  Julius  Caesar  "  was  also  produced,  with 
Booth  as  "  Cassius,"    James  Wallack   as   "  Bru- 


64         PAS8AG£8,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

tus,"  and  J.  Cooper  as  "Anthony," —  all  appear- 
ing for  the  first  time  in  these  characters. 

This  engagement  closed  on  the  13t1i  of  January, 
1821.  On  the  18th  of  this  month,  he  mamed 
Mary  Anne  Holmes,  at  the  residence  of  the  Hon. 
Mrs.  Chambers.  This^lady,  who  had  always  man- 
ifested a  great  interest  in  my  father's  career,  pre- 
sented his  wife  on  her-  wedding-day  with  those 
well-known  jewels,  which  decorated  his  Richard's 
crown. 

They  made  a  brief  visit  to  France,  stopping  at 
Calais  and  Bologne,  and  on  their  return  to  Eng- 
land, my  father  decided  to  visit  the  West  Indies 
professionally.  They  sailed  from  Deal,  at  which 
place  he  purchased  a  piebald  pony  named  Pea- 
cock^ to  which  he  had  become  much  attached,  and, 
who  in  after  years,  became  closely  identified  with 
my  father.  The  vessel  was  obliged  to  stop  at  the 
Island  of  Madeira,  and  attracted  by  the  loveliness 
of  the  scenery,  he  was  induced  to  alter  his  deter- 
mination, and  pass  a  portion  of  his  time  in  survey- 
ing its  beauties.  They  remained  for  several  weeks 
at  Madeira;  and,  as  horses  were  exceeding  rare 
on  the  island  (oxen  and  mules  being  used  on  the 
mountains   to   carry  freight,   etc.),  Peacock  ere- 


JN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.        65 

ated  great  excitement.  Sums  of  money  were 
oflfered  for  him,  but  my  father  dechned  parting 
with  his  new  favorite ;  and  in  April,  he  took  pas- 
sage for  himself,  wife,  and  pony  on  the  schooner 
Two  Brothers  for  America. 

It  is  a  singular  coincidence  that,  in  beginning 
his  theatrical  career,  my  father  sailed  to  a  strange 
country  in  a  vessel  bearing  the  same  name  as  that 
which  bore  him  over  the  waters  to  essay  his  for- 
tunes in  the  New  World. 

6 


66         PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES, 


V. 


«'  gon  slfeall  be  fell  hmxtb  in  Cgpras." 


S  they  were  the  only  passengers  on  the 
schooner,  the  captain  resigned  his  cabin 
for  their  accommodation,  and,  after  a  te- 
dious voyage  of  forty-four  days,  tliey  land- 
ed at  Norfolk,  Va.,  on  the  30th  of  June, 
1821.  On  his  arrival,  my  father  intro- 
duced himself  to  Mr.  Charles  Gilbert,  manager  of 
the  Richmond  Theatre,  and  an  engagement  was 
immediately  effected.  He  opened,  on  the  6th  of 
July,  in  Richmond,  Va.,  in  the  character  of 
"  Richard  the  Third." 

The  effect  of  a  long  sea-voyage,  and  the  excite- 
ment of  playing  before  a  new  audience,  rendered 
him  somewhat  tame  during  the  first  acts  ;  but  his 
fire  and  energy,  in  the  closing  scenes,  delighted 
the  manager,  and  electrified  the  audience.  Not- 
withstanding his  coming  thus  unheralded  into  a 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       67 

strange  country,  in  the  sultriest  season  of  the  year, 
and  appearing  with  all  the  disadvantages  of  new 
surroundings,  company,  etc.,  he  won  the  most 
eloquent  praise,  from  critics  and  audience. 

AN  EZTKACT  FBOU  A»  EXTENDED  CRITIQUE  IN  THE  "  RICH- 
UOND  ENQUIBEE,"  ON  MR,  BOOTH'S  "  RICHARD  THE 
THIRD  "  :  — 

"  Gentlemen  who  have  seen  Cooke  in  this  part,  do  not 
hesitate  to  pronounce  Booth  superior  to  him,  and  others,  who 
have  lately  seen  Kean  in  the  same  character,  aver  that,  in 
some  scenes,  he  is  equal,  and  in  others,  the  most  trj'ing  of 
the  play,  superior  to  that  celebrated  actor."  ^ 

He  performed  four  nights,  and  proved  a  fortu- 
nate acquisition,  as  the  business  of  the  theatre  was 
at  a  very  low  ebb.  The  characters  he  personated 
were  "Richard,"  "Lear,"  "Sir  Edward  Morti- 
mer," and  "Bertram."  He  entered  into  a  con- 
tract with  Messrs.  Gilfert  and  Graham,  to  act 
throughout  the  Union  for  a  specified  nightly  sum. 

He  performed  in  Petersburgh  for  six  nights,  and 
then  retired  to  a  country  place,  where  he  remained 
for  a  few  weeks  enjoying  rural  life.  This  habita- 
tion was  a  road-side  inn,  between  Richmond  and 
Petersburgh,  where  weary  travellers  were  in  the 


68        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

habit  of  tarrying  over  night.  One  evening,  fa- 
ther overheard  the  landlord  commanding  the  wait- 
er to  "  get  the  new  lodger's  boots,"  —  referring  to  a 
"  fresh  arrival,"  who  had  retired  early,  and  thereby 
caused  suspicion  in  the  mind  of  the  wary  host. 
The  boy  returned,  with  the  answer,  "  The  gentle- 
man says  he  has  no  boots."  "  Go  up,  at  once," 
replied  the  landlord,  "  and  demand  his  shoes J^ 
The  boy  came  back,  and  stated,  in  dismay,  "  The 
gentleman  says  he  has  no  shoes."  The  landlord 
now  became  very  excited,  upon  which  my  father 
inquired  why  he  was  so  anxious  to  obtain  the 
lodger's  boots.  "  Why,  sir,"  the  host  replied,  con- 
ftisedly,  "  we  have  strange  characters  stop  here, 
sometimes,  who  have  a  way  of  rising  early  in  the 
morning,  and  walking  off,  before  any  of  the  family 
are  astir :  so  I  manage  to  get  possession  of  their 
boots,  and  they  are  compelled  to  remain  until  their 
bills  are  settled."  This  explanation  was  sufficient- 
ly expressive.  The  host  and  his  family,  assuring 
themselves  of  the  evil  intentions  of  the  "  footpad," 
as  they  designated  the  unconscious  lodger,  were  ex- 
ceedingly anxious  in  watching  his  movements.  In 
the  morning,  the  person  who  had  been  the  cause 
of  so  many  dark  surmises,  made  his  appearance  at 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.        69 

the  breakfast-table.  To  the  astonishment  of  all, 
he  proved  to  be  the  distinguished  tragedian,  Thomas 
Cooper.  This  meeting  with  Mr.  Cooper  was  often 
related  by  my  father  as  a  pleasing  incident,  since  it 
led  to  an  agreeable  acquaintance  with  that  cele- 
brated actor.  The  indignant  landlord  was  sudden- 
ly transformed  into  a  most  obsequious  host,  and 
became  lavish  in  his  apologies  for  disturbing  a  guest 
for  so  trifling  a  thing  as  his  boots,  stating  that  "  he 
always  liked  to  have  them  brushed  for  the  gentle- 
men before  they  rose  in  the  morning." 

Father  ifeturned  to  Richmond  in  September,  and 
fulfilled  a  second  engagement  —  which  was  more 
lucrative  than  the  preceding  one  during  the  sum- 
mer season  —  in  that  city. 

On  the  2d  of  October,  he  arrived  in  New  York, 
where  he  was  immediately  engaged  by  the  manager 
of  the  Park  Theatre,  and  announced  to  play  "  Rich- 
ard "  on  the  5th.  From  the  numerous  allusions  of 
the  press,  I  transcribe  the  following :  — 

"  The  notoriety  of  Mr.  Booth  in  London  (and  from  the 
various  reports  of  our  friends  who  had  seen  him  there),  had 
greatly  excited  public  curiosity.  In  consequence,  a  full  and 
fashionable  audience  assembled  at  an  eariy  hour  on  Friday 
evening,  to  witness  his  debut.  He  was  welcomed  by  three 
V 


70      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

long,  distinct  rounds  of  applause,  and  we  could  perceive 
lie  was  embarrassed,  and  sensibly  affected.  When  we  re- 
flect upon  Mr.  Booth's  youth,  and  the  effect  produced  by 
his  acting,  we  cannot  withhold  from  him  our  highest  praise. 
In  the  tent  scene,  }xe  showed  much  originality ;  rising  from 
the  couch,  he  dashed  to  the  bottom  of  the  stage,  and,  with  an ' 
attitude  and  expression  of  countenance  we  cannot  describe, 
and  will  not  forget,  but  which  was  neither  that  of  Cooke, 
Cooper,  Eean,  nor  Wallack,  he  made  an  extraordinary  and 
most  sensible  impression  on  the  audience.  There  was  at  first 
a  pause,  which  suddenly  burst  forth  into  a  long  and  raptu- 
rous applause,  intermixed  with  loud  expressions  of  approba- 
tion. In  the  contest  with  Richmond,  and  the  dying  scene, 
he  was  loudly  applauded,  and  fell  amidst  the  cries  of  '  Bra- 
vo !  Bravo!'" 


In  those  days  there  were  but  two  regular  the- 
atres in  New  York,  the  Park  and  the  Bowery. 
Stars  were  generally  engaged  by  managers  for  the 
limited  space  of  six  nights,  and  rarely  prolonged 
the  engagement  Jbeyond  twelve.  The  repetition 
of  standard  plays  for  a  great  number  of  nights 
consecutively,  so  common  in  our  age,  was  not 
known  by  the  old  "  Park  worshippers  "  nearly 
half  a  century  ago. 

On  the  occasion  of  my  father's  first  benefit  in 
New  York,  he  appeared  as  "Hamlet,"  and  •*  Jerry 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BB UTUS  BOOTH.        71 

Sneak  "  in  the  old  farce  of  "  Mayor  of  Garrett." 
The  "  New  York  Post "  of  the  ensuing  day  said :  — 

"  At  the  close  of  the  afterpiece  there  was  an  unanimous 
cry  for  Mr.  Booth,  scarcely  an  individual  leaving  either  pit 
or  boxes,  but  waited  for  his  change  of  dress ;  he  then  ap- 
peared amid  the  shouts  and  huzzas  of  a  delighted  audience. 
The'  young  stranger  was  so  evidently  embarrassed  at  the  un- 
expected compUment,  that  he  was  almost  unable  to  speak, 
and  addressed  the  audience  in  a  voice  so  low,  that  we  were 
unable  to  hear  all  he  said.  We  understood  him,  however, 
to  say  that  he  was  overwhelmed  with  gratitude ;  he  knew  not 
how  to  express  the  feelings  which  their  kindness  and  liber- 
ality had  inspired ;  he  was  unaccustomed  on  such  occasions  to 
address  an  audience;  he  did  not  expect  the  honor  would 
have  been  extended  to  him;  he  never  should  and  never 
could  forget  it.  This  agitation  evidently  incrccising,  he 
bowed  to  the  audience  and  retired  amidst  thundering  ap- 
plause, leaving  behind  him  impressions  not  a  little  improved 
by  the  modesty  of  his  deportment." 

The  gross  receipts  of  this  engagement  were,  — 
October  5th, "  Richard,"  ....        $1150 

«       6th, "  Octavian," 660 

"        7th,  "  Brutus," 760 

"       8th,  "  Lear," 800 

«       9th, » OtheUo," 600 

"      10th, "  Hamlet," 1200 

"  His  representation  of  '  Hamlet '  we  have  always  regarded 


72       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

as  one  of  his  best  efforts.  From  the  first  to  the  last  scene  il 
was  but  a  succession  of  brilliant  and  startling  effects.  It 
was  a  complete  study  in  itself.  Indeed,  we  never  saw  any 
actor  that  embodied  the  character  with  such  a  perfect  con- 
ception of  the  author's  meaning.  Passages  of  obscure  and 
doubtful  import  as  generally  delivered  became  clear  to  the 
dullest  comprehension.  Instead  of  deducing  the  character 
of  '  Hamlet'  from  the  text  his  mind  seemed  to  grasp  at  once 
every  thought  and  act  of  the  melancholy  prince  in  one 
entire  and  perfect  unity,  and  the  words,  as  they  fell  from  his 
lips,  appeared  rather  the  spontaneous  echoes  of  his  own 
heart  than  the  studied  phrases  of  the  author. 

"  How  beautiful  was  his  scene  with  '  Ophelia '  in  the  third 
act !  The  strange  and  startling  burst  of  passion  at  the  sight 
of  the  Bang,  —  the  introduction  of  whom  for  a  moment  was 
entirely  new  to  us,  —  was  softened  by  his  tender  feeling  for 
'  Ophelia,'  and  the  quick  and  passionate  pressure  of  her  hand 
to  his  lips  as  he  leaves  hef,  betraying  his  predominant  love 
in  spite  of  his  harshness,  was  a  master-stroke  of  excellence. 
His  interviews  with  his  mother  were  intensely  striking,  par- 
ticularly the  one  wherein  the  ghost  stalks  throu^  the  apart- 
ment. The  sudden ^look  of  amazement  and  me  thousand 
thoughts  that  seemed  rushing  through  his  mind  at  the  sight 
of  his  father's  spirit  in  arms  were  admirably  depicted.  The 
lines  beginning  — 

"  •  Why,  look  yoa  there  !   look  how  it  steala  away  ! ' 

were  given  with  thrilling  effect.     His  ruminations  upon 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  J UNIU8  BR UTUS  BOOTS.        73 

human  life  and  his  uncertain  destiny,  his  interview  with  the 
Ghost,  the  scene  with  the  Players,  and  his  colloquies  at 
the  grave  of  •  Ophelia '  were  the  perfection  of  art"  —  TTie 
Actor. 


74         PASSAGES.  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 


VIII. 


«  S^trt  IS  a  pleasttre  in  t^t  ptl^Uss  bsaoisi ', 
®^tK  is  a  raptnrt  on  l^e  lontig  s!^o« ; 
W,}itn  is  sotittg  fajl^trt  nont  inlmbts, 
^S  %  bt£p  sea,  anb  mnsit  in  its  roar : 
^  lobe  not  man  i^t  kss,  bnt  |tatnrc  more." 


ROM  New  York  my  father  travelled  south, 
acting  in  Baltimore,  Norfolk,  Charleston, 
New  Orleans,  Savannah,  etc.,  his  travels 
being  one  long  ovation.  During  this  tour, 
Junius  Brutus  Booth,  the  first  son,  was 
bom  in  Charleston,  on  the  22d  of  Decem- 
ber, 1821.  Among  the  numerous  anecdotes  of  my 
father's  eccentricities,  I  shall  give  those  only  which 
bear  the  semblance  of  probability,  and  such  as 
have  been  given  me,  on  reliable  authority.  It 
is  rumored  that  he  frequently  expressed  a  desire 
"  to  retire  from  public  life,  and  keep  a  lighthouse." 
That  he  seriously  contemplated  such  a   step  is 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       75 

shown  by  a  memorandum,  of  his,  dated  February 
12th:  — 

"  Spoke  to  Mr.  Blount,  collector  of  customs,  and  one 
of  the  passengers,  about  Cape  Hatteras  Lighthouse.  He 
ofiFered  it  to  me  with  the  dwelling-house,  and  twenty  acres 
of  land  attached;  and  a  salary  of  $300  per  annum,  for 
keeping  the  light,  —  government  providing  oil  and  cotton,  — 
a  quart  of  oil  per  diem.  Grapes,  water-melons,  cabbages, 
potatoes,  carrots,  and  onions,  grow  in  abundance  there. 
Rain-water  the  only  drink ;  a  cistern  on  the  premises  for 
that  purpose.  Abundance  of  fish  and  wild  fowl ;  —  pigs, 
cows,  and  horses  find  good  pasture.  Soil  too  Ught  for 
wheat  or  corn.  Flour  bought  for  four  or  five  dollars  a 
barrel.  The  office  is  for  life,  and  only  taken  away  through 
misbehavior.  Lighthouse  seventy-five  feet  high ;  light  re- 
quires trimming  every  night  at  twelve  o'clock.  No  taxes 
whatever.  Fire-wood  is  procured  from  the  pieces  of  wreck 
found  on  the  shoals.  One  dollar  per  day  is  the  -  charge 
for  men  who  assist  in  cases  of  wreck.  Strawberries,  cur- 
rant-bushes, and  apple-trees  should  be  taken  there ;  also 
a  plough,  spades,  and  chest  of  carpenter  tools.  Pine  tables 
the  best.  Mr.  Blount  is  to  write  me  word  if  the  office 
can  be  given  me  in  April  next,  from  his  seat  at  Washing- 
ton, North  Carolina." 

It  may  be  necessary  to  add  that  my  father  did 
not  obtain  the  situation  of  "  hghthouse-keeper," 


76        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

owing,  as  was  eventually  disclosed  to  the  timely 
interference  of  theatrical  managers,  who  Avere 
loth  to  suffer  the  total  eclipse  of  so  brilliant  a 
star.  Although  his  disposition  was  ever  humble 
and  retiring,  it  is  singular  that  in  the  zenith  of 
his  fame,  and  with  such  glowing  prospects  of 
fortune,  he  should  contemplate  a  life  of  hardship 
and  comparative  poverty  as  more  desirable  to 
happiness. 

He  now  made  his  first  appearance  in  Boston, 
which  is  thus  spoken  of  in  the  "  Record  of  the 
Boston  Stage :  "  — 

"  The  first  appearance  of  this  great  actor  in  Boston,  where 
for  so  many  years  he  has  attracted  those  most  conversant 
with  the  difiercnt  schools  of  acting,  and  has  delighted  else- 
where the  most  critical  audiences  in  the  world  by  his 
masterly  impersonations,  occurred  on  the  6th  of  May,  1822. 
He  made  his  appearance  as  '  Richard,'  a  character  which  he 
is  identified  with,  wherever  he  has  performed.  His  acting 
then  received  the  applause  of  a  Boston  audience,  and  up  to 
his  last  appearance  in  this  city,  prior  to  his  death,  he  retained 
the  position  he  so  eminently  deserved.  During  his  engage- 
ment, he  performed  '  Sir  Edward  Mortimer,*  '  Sir  Giles 
Overreach,'  '  Octavian,'  and  for  his  benefit,  '  Hamlet,'  on 
which  occasion,  the  receipts  were  eight  hundred  dollars. 
Booth's   acting   always   evinced   genius.     Like    Edmund 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.      77 

£ean,  there  was  inspiration  in  his  embodiment  of  Shaks- 
perian  characters,  and  even  when  the  words  were  lost  to  the 
hearing,  the  eye  needed  no  vocal  interpreter,  for  Booth  more 
than  any  actor  we  have  ever  seen,  possessed  the  power 
of  combining  a  meaning  in  every  gesture,  and  a  silent 
glance  was  equivalent  to  a  delivered  sentence.  As  a  so- 
liloquist he  excelled.  With  many  actors,  all  soliloquies  seem 
like  so  many  title-pages  to  the  succeeding  acts ;  but  Booth 
avoided  all  strains  after  startling  points,  and  gave  to  such 
passages,  both  in  'Hamlet,'  and  'Richard,'  an  interest  with- 
out destroying  the  unity  of  the  play." 


In  the  summer  of  1822,  while  the  yellow 
fever  was  racing  in  Baltimore,  my  father,  still 
indulging  the  romantic  desire  of  retiring  from 
the  world,  purchased  a  farm  twenty-five  miles 
from  that  city,  lying  in  Harford  county,  Mary- 
land. As  this  became  his  constant  resort  when 
free  from  the  excitement  of  his  profession,  and 
is  so  closely  associated  with  his  theatrical  career,  I 
shall  attempt  a  description  of  its  natural  beauties. 

"The  farm"  contains  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  dense  wood-land ;  and,  on  one  side, 
adjoins  a  great  forest,  called  the  "  big  woods." 
It  is  situated  three  miles  from  "  Bel  Air,"  the 
county  town ;  the  same  distance  from  two  smaller 


78         PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

villages,  and  almost  as  far  from  a  neighboring 
store  or  dwelling.  By  a  crooked  lane,  winding 
among  the  trees,  we  approach  the  house,  which 
is  of  log,  plastered  and  whitewashed  on  the  out- 
side, with  the  singular  contrast  of  red  window- 
sashes,  shutters,  and  doors. 

This  diminutive  log-cabin  stands  in  a  clearing, 
encompassed  by  huge  oaks,  sycamores,  and  poplars. 
It  was  removed  to  its  present  locality,  across  several 
fields  ;  and  the  proceeding  caused  great  excitement 
among  the  primitive  inhabitants  of  the  great  woods, 
as  the  assistance  of  all  the  negroes,  oxen,  and 
horses  in  the  neighborhood  was  in  requisition. 

The  forest  scenery  is  romantic  and  beautiful. 
There  are  huge  rocks  with  tiny  cascades  ;  streams 
and  springs  of  delightful  water  gushing  out  in  the 
most  remote  places.  Natural  bowers  of  flowering 
vines,  and  groves  of  tall  interlacing  trees,  wild 
flowers  of  every  shape  and  hue,  from  the  simple 
field-violet  to  the  spotted  lily  and  scarlet  lobelia  of 
the  marsh.  Long  copses  of  hazel-bushes  and  old 
English  hips  and  haws,  and  nuts  of  various  kinds 
abound.  Away  off  in  the  great  forest,  where  the 
hght  seldom  penetrates,  is  the  "  Dismal  Swamp," 
covered  with  gorgeous  lilies  and  bright  grasses,  and 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  J UNIDS  BR UTUS  BOOTH.        79 

here  on  the  smooth  sward  are  those  magical  fairy 
rings,  on  which  no  grass  ever  grows.  Here,  too, 
is  the  old  well-trodden  foot-path  of  the  Algonquin 
Indian ;  and,  winding  far  away  through  the  dark, 
still  woods,  the  ground  is  strewn  with  the  memorials 
of  these  lovers  of  warfare  and  the  chase.  Arrow- 
heads of  every  dimension,  axe-heads  and  tomahawks 
and  curiously  cut  stones  are  thickly  buried  in  the 
marshy  ground,  as  if  for  all  time  these  solemn 
woods  should  keep  their  memory.  Here  in  these 
wild  forests  my  father  made  his  home,  far  removed 
from  the  turmoil  of  city  life,  and  surrounded  by 
his  growing  family  and  faithful  servants,  among^ 
whom  he  labored  with  the  zeal  of  an  anxious  far- 
mer. There  were  some  sternly  enforced  rules  in 
his  household  ;  one  of  which,  causing  more  dissatis- 
faction than  others,  was  the  entire  prohibition  of 
flesh  for  food.  Animal  life  on  the  farm  was  sacred, 
from  the  dainty  partridge  to  the  black  snake  and 
wild  boar  of  the  wood.  The  servants,  if  actually 
requiring  meat,  were  allowed  money  to  purchase 
it  from  the  neighbors ;  but  the  immediate  family 
religiously  observed  the  law  of  abstinence.  Another 
thing. forbidden  was  the  felling  of  trees.  Every 
tree  was  held  sacred  from  the  axe  as  if  a  Druid  or  a 


80        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

woodland  nymph  inhabited  its  trunk.  Fallen  trees 
and  brush  served  for  firewood,  while  animal  and 
vegetable  life  flourished  in  rare  luxuriance. 

In  this  year  1822  my  grandfather,  Richard 
Booth,  arrived  from  England,  and  settled  at  the 
farm.  From  his  youth  he  regarded  this  country  as 
the  desideratum  of  all  men,  and  in  his  old  age  he 
had  come  to  end  his  days  here.  He  displayed 
great  energy  in  managing  the  farm  in  his  son's  ab- 
sence ;  and  memoirs  of  celebrated  men,  numerous 
odes  to  Liberty,  etc.,  found  among  his  papers,  bear 
evidence  of  the  employment  of  his  leisure  hours. 
At  the  close  of  his  life  he  was  occupied  in  translat- 
'  ing  "  Eneas,"  with  a  view  of  adapting  it  to  the 
stage. 

I  subjoin  a  copy  of  the  play-bill  announcing 
my  father's  first  appearance  in  Philadelphia,  at 
the  theatre  now  known  as  the  Walnut  Street 
Theatre.  Three  years  previously  Edmund  Kean 
made  his  d4hut  before  a  Philadelphia  audience  at 
this  house. 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.        81 


NEW    THEATRE. 

The  managers  respectfully  inform  the  public,  that 

MR.    BOOTH, 

Of  the  Theatres  Royal,  Drury  Lane,  and  Covent  Garden,  if 

engaged  for  a  few  nights,  and  will  make  his  first 

appearance  in  this  city  on 

Monday  Evening,  February  17 th,  1823, 

In  the  Tragedy  of 

RICHARr)    THE    THIRD. 


Bichard,  Duke  of  Gloster, 

King  Kenry  the  Sixth,    . 

Prince  of  Wales, . 

Duke  of  York, . 

Duke  of  Buckingham, . 

Henry,  Earl  of  Richmond, 

Duke  of  Norfolk,  . 

Tressel,     .... 

Catesby, 

Ratcliff,     .... 

Earl  of  Oxford,     . 

Lieutenant  of  Tower, 

Lord  Stanley, 

Lord  Mayor, 

Tyrrel,  .        .        . 

Blount,      .        .        .        . 

Queen  Elizabeth,  . 

Duchess  of  York, 

Lady  Anne,  . 


Mr.  Booth. 

"    Warren. 

"    Hathwell. 
Miss  H.  Hathwell. 
Mr.  Wood. 

"    H.  Wallack. 

"    Wheatly. 

"    T.  Jefferson. 

"    Darley. 

"    Scrivener. 

"    J.  Jefferson. 

"    BignaU. 

"    HathwelL 

"    Burke. 

"    Murray. 

"    Greene. 
Mrs.  Tatnall. 

"    Jefferson. 
"    Darley. 


After  which,  a  favorite  Farce,  called  the 
SPOILED    CHILD. 

On  Wednesday,  the  "Iron  Chest;"  Sir  Edward  Morti- 
mer, Mr.  Booth. 

On  Friday,  "  A  New  Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts;"  Sir  Giles 
Overreach,  Mr.  Booth. 
6  . 


82       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

My  father  usually  travelled  from  his  farm  to 
Philadelphia  or  to  Richmond  in  his  carryall^  with 
two  horses,  "  Captain,"  a  very  large  animal,  and 
the  favorite  but  diminutive  "  Peacock,"  driven  in 
tandem.  He  frequently  encountered  Mr.  Cooper 
the  tragedian,  who  also  travelled  in  his  own  con- 
veyance. 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  J UNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.        83 


IX. 

«  ^  fares  a  stl^olar,  anb  a  ripe  anir  goolr  one." 

HILE  my  father  was  fulfilling  an  engage- 
ment in  Charleston,  March,  1825,  La- 
fayette made  his  entree  into  that  city,  in 
consequence  of  which,  the  theatre  was 
used  for  balls  and  other  entertainments. 
He  thus  alludes  to  the  occurrence  :  — 


"I  saw  Lafayette;  he  is  an  afiable,  noble-looking  man. 
The  theatre  is  given  up  for  balls,  etc.,  and  all  business  sus- 
pended ;  the  excitement  and  confusion  are  general.  Jackson 
has  not  one  advocate  here,  although  lately  this  State  voted 
for  his  being  President." 

In  this  year,  my  father  sailed  for  Europe,  ac- 
companied by  his  family,  and  an  extract  from  one 
of  his  letters  refers  to  his  accidental  meeting  with 
Kean.  By  the  active  intercession  of  mutual 
friends  an  e^fplanation  was  affected,  through  which 

V 


84         PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

"these  remarkable  men  became  reconciled,  and  ever 
afterward  there  existed  between  them  a  reci- 
procity of  kindly  feeling. 

One  of  the  most  beautifiil  qualities  of  my 
father's  nature  was  humilUy^  —  that  lowliness  of 
soul  which  emanates  from  a  disregard  of  self,  and, 
while  elevating  its  possessor,  causes  him  to  appre- 
ciate in  others  all  that  is  truly  great  and  good  un- 
affected Jby  the  meaner  passions.  Perhaps  it  was 
the  daily  exercise  of  this  self-abnegation  that  ren- 
dered him  so  childlike  yet  so  noble  in  the  eyes  of 
all  who  loved  him,  while,  in  the  pursuance  of  his 
profession,  it  left  him  free  from  all  the  petty  malice 
and  jealousies  of  an  actor's  life,  and  enabled  him 
justly  to  award  praise  to  the  meritorious,  and  dis- 
cern true  worth  in  any  garb. 

LivBBFOOL,  Sept.  20th,  1825. 
Dear  Father,  —  At  last  we  are  arrived  after  a  pas- 
sage of  twenty-nine  days'  duration,  which  is  a  long  one  from 
America  at  this  season.  To-day  we  go  to  London  through 
Leicester.  Kean  sails  the  day  ailer  to-morrow,  by  the  *  Silas 
Richards,'  for  New  York.  Strange  that  he  should  meet  me 
here  —  he  ready  to  embark,  and  to  that  very  country  I  have 
just  left;  he  has  Ipeen  quite  ill  and  looks  wretchedly.  I 
passed  an  hour  with  him  last  night  at  his  quarters,  and  rec- 
onciled our  eincient  misunderstanding.    The  vessel  he  goes 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS^  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       85 

in  to  New  York  will  most  probably  be  the  conveyance  for 
this  letter.  I  really  wish  he  may  meet  with  success.  He  has 
been  all  along  a  victim  to  sharpers  and  flatterers,  who 
buoyed  him  up  with  the  notion  of  omnipotence,  which  now 
he  awakes  from,  and  perceives  the  hollowness  of  those  on 
whom  he  mostly  relied.  Macready  is  sick,  Young  is  gone  to 
Italy  for  his  health,  and  Elliston  is  reported  to  be  dying. 

Mj  father  appeared  in  London  at  Drury  Lane 
Theatre,  opening  in  "  Brutus,"  and,  being  loudly- 
called  for  at  the  fall  of  the  curtain,  he  persistently 
refused  to  go  forward,  urging  as  his  reason  that  the 
custom  should  be  abolished.  After  this  engage- 
ment, he  played  at  the  Royalty  Theatre,  and  on  his 
opening  night  after  the  performance  of  "  Richard  " 
the  entire  building  was  burned  to  the  ground.  It 
was  the  result  of  an  accident,  by  which  he  lost 
nearly  all  of  his  wardrobe,  and  the  management 
upwards  of  X  18,000. 

From  a  letter  of  his,  dated  February,  1826,  I 
take  the  following  :  — 

"  The  distress  is  so  excessive  in  consequence  of  the  num- 
ber of  banks  failing,  and  the  full  weekly  list  of  bankrupts, 
that  men  look  upon  each  other  doubtful  if  they  shall  defend 
their  own,  or  steal  their  neighbor's  property.  Famine  stares 
all  England  in  the  face.  As  for  theatricals  they  are  not 
thought    of,    much    less    patronized.      The  emigration    to 


86       PA8SA  GE8,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECD  0  T£3 

America  will  be  very  numerous,  as  it  is  hardly  possible  for 
the  middling  classes  to  keep  body  and  soul  together." 

My  father  received  an  oflPer  to  perform  in  rivalry 
with  Macready,  in  Dublin  ;  but,  not  considering  the 
pecuniary  inducement  sufficient,  he  declined,  and 
after  fulfilling  an  engagement  at  Bristol,  under  the 
management  of  the  father  of  Mr.  W.  C.  Macready, 
he  visited  Holland.  At  Amsterdam  he  performed 
"  Macbeth"  several  times  by  special  request  of 
the  Prince  of  Orange,  who  was  present  at  each 
repetition  of  that  character,  and  witnessed  also  his 
performance  of  "  lago,"  on  which  occasion  Mr. 
S.  Chapman  enacted  "  Othello." 

After  performing  in  Rotterdam,  Brussels,  &c., 
he  sailed  from  the  former  place  for  America,  in 
the  ship  "  Draper,"  Captain  HiUiert.  Possessing  a 
facility  of  acquiring  languages,  he  had  made  him- 
self master  of  many  tongues.  Greek,  Latin,  and 
French  were  the  acquisition  of  his  college  days. 
German  and  Spanish  he  studied  in  maturer  years, 
and  Arabic  he  was  endeavoring  to  acquire  in  age. 
On  this  homeward  voyage,  in  1827,  he  was  occu- 
pied in  the  study  of  Italian.  It  was  his  habit  to 
set  himself  a  ta^  consisting  of  a  certain  number 
of  words  which  he  had  previously  written  on  slips 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       87 

of  paper,  and,  as  he  walked  the  deck  of  the  vessel, 
to  commit  them  to  memory. 

An  unfortunate  passenger,  who  was  allowed  free 
access  to  all  parts  of  the  vessel,  and  who,  although 
insane,  was  not  considered  dangerous,  conceived 
the  idea  that  my  father  was  a  conjurer  and 
practising  the  black  art  upon  him.  One  day, 
while  the  unconscious  student  was  in  his  cabin, 
the  black  girl  rushed  in,  exclaiming, — 

"  The  crazy  man  is  coming  with  an  axe." 

My  father  turned  toward  the  cabin-door  just  in 
time  to  catch  the  glance  of  the  man  who  held  the 
uplifted  axe.  With  the  unflinching  gaze  of  setf- 
possession  he  fixed  the  eye  of  the  maniac,  who 
gradually  lowered  the  weapon,  and,  letting  it 
fall  behind  him,  walked  slowly  away. 

My  father,  on  his  return  to  America,  made  his 
first  appearance,  on  the  24th  of  March,  at  the 
Park  Theatre,  and  played  successively,  "  Richard," 
"  Su-  Giles  Overreach,"  "  Sir  E.  Mortimer,"  "  Post- 
humous," "  Reuben  Glenroy,"  and  for  his  benefit 
"  Selim,"  in  the  "  Bride  of  Abydos,"  and  "  Jerry 
Sneak."  In  the  month  of  June  he  again  per- 
formed at  the  Park,  appearing  for  his  benefit  as 
"  Pescara,"  in  the  Apostate,  —  a  character  written 


88        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

expressly  for  him  by  Sheil,  and  which  he  had  at 
first  dedlned.  The  elder  Conway  represented 
"  Hemeya  "  on  this  occasion. 

In  1828  he  consented  to  undertake  the  stage 
management  of  the  Camp  Street  Theatre,  New 
Orleans,  under  the  lesseeship  of  his  friend,  Mr. 
Caldwell.  He  personated  "  Richard  the  Third," 
for  sixteen  nights  to  densely  crowded  houses. 
During  his  leisure  hours  he  had  perfected  himself 
in  several  French  plays  :  among  the  number  were 
"  Fa'iel  in  Gabrielle  De  Vergy,"  "  Tancred," 
Shakspeare  in  "  Shakspeare  Amoureux,"  &c., 
and  being  a  proficient  in  the  French  language 
he  was  solicited  by  Mr.  Davis,  of  the  Theatre 
d' Orleans,  to  play  "  Oreste,"  in  Racine's  trag- 
edy of  "  Andromaque."  His  accentuation  was 
so  perfect,  and  every  peculiarity  of  French 
acting  so  minutely  observed  by  him,  that  the 
astonishment  and  delight  were  universal.  At  the 
close  of  the  performance  he  was  loudly  called 
for,  and  cries  of  "  Talma  !  Talma  I  "  saluted  him, 
amid  every  sound  of  applause  and  approbation. 

Below  is  a  copy  of  the  bill,  and  a  critique  from 
a  New  Orleans  paper  of  that  day  :  — 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BR UTU8  BOOTK       89 

TH^ATBE    D'OEL^ANS. 
MR.    BOOTHI 

Aujovird'hui  Mardi,  19  F^vrier,  1828. 
Une  repr^sentatione  de 

ANDROMAQUE, 

Trag^die  en  5  actes  et  en  vers  de  Racine  dans  laquelle  Mr.  Booth, 
jouera,  le  role  d'Orest^. 

Distkibutioh: 

Orest^,  fils  d' Agamemnon, Mr.  Bopth. 

Pj-rrhus,  fils  d'Achille,  roi  d'Epire,     ....  MM.  Leblanc. 

Pylade,  ami  d'Oreste,      .        • Tabary. 

Phoenix,  gouvemeur  de  Pyrrhus, Rochefort. 

Andromaque,  Vve  d' Hector, Mdes.  Cholet. 

Hermione, Clozel. 

Cl^one,  confidente  d' Andromaque,  ....        Placide. 

Cephise,  confidente  d' Hermione,  .        .        .        .        .        .      Bolz6. 

Gardes, Act.  and  Figurans. 


"  L'administration  ayant  pens4  que  les  talens  de  Mr.  Booth  c^l^bre 
tragedien  Anglais,  seraient  agr^ables  au  public,  dont  elle  s'erapres- 
sera  toujours  de  pr^venir  les  desirs,  a  engag^  cet  artiste  a  jouer, 
avant  son  depart  de  cette  ville,  le  role  d'Oreste  dans  la  belle  trag^- 
die  d' Andromaque  de  Racine.  Mme.  Cholet  a  bien  voulu  se  charger 
du  role  diflBcile  d' Andromaque  pour  ne  pas  faire  manquer  cette  rep- 
resentation." 

Le  spectacle  sera  termini  par 
La  seconde  de  representation  du 

CHARLATAN  IS  ME. 

Vaudeville  en  uu  acte  de  Scribe. 


90        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

"  A  spectacle  of  deep  interest,  one  as  novel  as  it  was 
pleasing,  was  oflFered  last  Tuesday  night  in  the  Orleans 
Theatre,  to  the  lovers  of  dramatic  talents.  Yielding  to  the 
solicitations  of  several  gentlemen  of  this  city,  Mr.  Booth 
consented  to  present  himself  before  a  French  audience  in 
the  part  of  '  Orestes.'  This  effort,  perilous  in  the  extreme, 
and  which  nothing  but  a  wish  to  give  to  Frenchmen  an  op- 
portunity of  judging  fairly,  of  what  is  termed  the  English 
style  of  tragic  acting,  could  have  urged  Mr.  Booth  to  risk, 
has  been  crowned  with  the  most  flattering  success.  The 
ever-increasing  interest  excited  by  the  warmth  of  his  feel- 
ings, the  earnestness  of  his  manner,  and  the  impetuous  ardor 
of  his  delivery,  and  above  all  whenever  passion  rose  high, 
when  the  furies  goaded  '  Orestes  *  to  crimes,  criticism  was 
merged  in  admiration,  and  with  one  voice  all  wondered  that 
a  stranger  should  thus  feel  and  express  all  the  beauties  of 
Racine." 

Mr.  Davia  offered  my  father  $300  per  night  for 
a  period  of  twelve  nights  ;  but  prior  engagements 
would  not  allow  him  to  remain  for  so  long  a  term. 
An  arrangement  was  however  effected  for  a  re- 
petition of  "  Orestes,"  on  Thursday,  21st.  The 
announcement  is  taken  from  the  "  New  Orleans 
Courier  "  of  that  date  :  — 

"Mr.  Booth,  highly  gratified  for  the  manner  in  which  he 
was  received  by  the  audience  of  the  Orleans  Theatre,  has 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.        91 

yielded  to  the  request  of  the  administration,  that  he 
would  again  play  the  part  of  '  Orestes '  before  his  depart- 
ure, in  order  to  afford  those  who  could  not  procure  boxes 
for  the  first  representation  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  his 
performance. 

Mr.  Booth's  Second  Appearance. 

ANDROMACHE; 

To  be  followed  by 

The  Water  Porter's  Familt,  ^ 

by  Scribe." 

My  father  then  proceeded  to  Natchez  and  Nash- 
ville, and  afterward  passed  a  week  with  Gen.  Jack- 
son at  the  Hermitage,  where  the  time  was  pleas- 
antly spent  in  congenial  society,  varied  with  read- 
ings from  Shakspeare  and  the  poets.  He  then 
proceeded  to  Cincinnati  where  he  played  a  very  lu- 
crative engagement. 


92      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 


X. 

"  §t  stage  bs^m  tbtiQ  man  traist  plag  a  part." 


N  1831  he  engaged  to  perform  at  the  Tre- 
mont  Theatre,  Boston,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Mr.  Dana,  who  was  evidently  un- 
accustomed to  theatrical  business  as  the  care- 
less arrangement  of  his  affairs  will,  show. 
He  frequently  engaged  stars  to  perform  a 
similar  character  on  the  same  evening ;  and  in 
this  manner  my  father  and  Mr.  Hamblin  both 
arrived  according  to  their  separate  agreements, 
each  claiming  the  house.  My  father,  being  the 
more ,  attractive  star,  was  selected  to  perform  the 
stated  -number  of  nights,  and  Mr.  Hamblin  received 
a  hundred  dollars  per  night,  remaining  in  town  the 
specified  period  of  his  engagement. 

In   speaking   of  the   beautiful   reading  of   Mr. 
Booth,  the  author  of"  The  Actor  "  (to  whom  I  am 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.        93 

indebted  for  much  reliable  information),  gives  the 
following :  — 

"  We  will  here  record  an  incident  related  to  the  writer  by 
the  late  Mr.  Simmons,  whose  lectures  on  elocution  and  dra- 
matic poetry  are  well  remembered  by  the  public.  After  wit- 
nessing one  of  Mr.  Booth's  splendid  efforts  In  Boston,  he  in- 
troduced himself  to  Mr.  Booth,  and  acknowledged  the  pleas- 
ure he  had  derived  from  listening  to  his  beautiful  readings, 
and  requested  that  they  might  read  together. 

"  Accordingly  a  chapter  was  selected  from  the  Bible,  *  and 
never,  said  the  gifted  lecturer,  '  was  I  before  so  strvick  toith 
the  eloquence,  beauty,  and  power  of  the  passages  read  by  the 
great  actor.  His  fine  features  glowed  with  the  fire  of  genius 
as  he  poured  out  his  rich,  melodious  tones,  apparently  comr 
pletely  absorbed  by  the  subject.  Late  as  it  was,  I  could  have 
sat  the  night  through  listening  to  eloquence  till  then  unheard, 
and  of  which  before  I  had  no  conception.' " 

Such  praise  as  this  from  a  mind  like  that  of  the 
late  elegant  and  classical  gentleman,  whose  fine  tal- 
ents were  generally  acknowledged,  and  whose  un- 
timely death  was  most  sincerely  deplored,  is  worth 
a  thousand  of  the  stereotyped  puifs  which  encum- 
ber a  portion  of  the  daily  press.  It  was  a  just 
tribute  to  genius  from  a  mind  of  superior  excellence. 


94        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

Returning  to  Baltimore,  my  father  met  with 
his  old  friend,  Thomas  Flynn,  who  had  re- 
cently arrived  in  America.  Mr.  Flynn  had  ar- 
ranged to  take  the  Annapolis  Theatre,  then  in 
course  of- erection,  and  proposed  to  him  to  play  an 
engagement  there,  offering  a  clear  third  of  each 
night's  receipts.  My  father  proceeded  to  Annapo- 
lis, in  a  wood  sloop^  instead  of  taking  the  usual 
jnode  of  conveyance,  and  consequently  arrived  a 
week  after  the<time  announced.  His  engagement 
was  very  profitable,  and  the  theatre  was  nightly 
filled  by  the  most  fashionable  people  of  the  place. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1831,  he  accepted 
an  offer  from  Mr.  Simpson  to  play  two  nights  with 
Mr.  Forrest,  at  the  Park  Theatre,  New  York. 
On  the  first  occasion,  Booth  enacted  "  Pierre,"  in 
*  Venice  Preserved,"  and  Forrest  "  Jaffier."  The 
second  night  "  Othello  "  was  produced ;  Forrest  as 
"  Othello,"  Booth  as  "  lago."  On  both  occasions 
the  theatre  was  crowded  to  overflowing.  He  fre- 
quently expressed  great  admiration  of  Mr.  Forrest's 
rendition  of  "  Othello." 

About  this  time  my  father  had  leased  the  Adel- 
phi  Theatre,  Baltimore,  and  Mr.  Flynn,  as  his  act- 
ing manager,  designed  opening  it  early  in  Septem- 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       95 

ber ;  but,  as  the  building  had  been  undergoing  great 
reparation,  and  was  still  incomplete,  my  father  rent- 
ed the  HoUiday  Street  Theatre  until  his  own  was 
finished.  The  principal  members  of  his  company 
were  Messrs.  Booth,  Flynn,  Cooper,  Duff,  Warren, 
Roberts,  and  Finn,  Mrs.  Duff  and  Mrs.  Flynn. 

During  the  season,  Charles  Kean  made  his  debut 
before  a  Baltimore  audience  as  "  Richard  the 
Third."  Hamlet  was  produced  with  the  following 
powerful  cast,  my  father  accepting  the  part  of 
second  actor :  — 


Hamlet,        .  . 

Ghost, 

Folonius,         .        . 

Laertes,      .        .        . 

King,     . 

Horatio, 

Osric,     .        . 

First  Grave  Digger,  . 

Second  Grave  Digger, 

First  Actor, 

Second  Actor, 

Ophelia, 

Queen,  . 


Mr.  C.  Kean. 

.    Mr.  Duff. 

.  Mr.  Warren. 

Mr.  Archer. 

Mr.  Isherwood. 

Mr.  Hazard. 

Mr.  J.  Sefton. 

Mr.  Flynn. 

.     Mr.  Mercer. 

Mr.  McKinney. 

.       'Mr.  Booth. 

Mrs.  Flynn. 

Mrs.  Duff. 


"  Booth  gave  the  actor's  speech  with  great  effect.  The 
audience  rose  en  masse  and  cheered  him  to  the  echo,  as 
much  for  the  beauty  of  its  delivery  as  the  modesty  which  in- 
duced him  to  select  a  subordinate  character,  thus  bringing 


96        PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

into  effect  the  entire  strength  of  his  company,  and  extend- 
ing every  advantage  to  the  distinguished  stranger." 

During  the  season,  which  was  a  very  prosperous 
one,  he  played  several  new  characters,  among  which 
were  "  Roderick  Dhu,"  "  Selim,"  "  Richard  the 
Second,"  "  Penruddock,"  "  Falkland,"  in  the 
"  Rivals,"  "  Hotspur"  and  "  Luke,"  in  «  Riches." 
His  "  Luke  "  and  other  characters  are  thus  criti- 
cised :  — 

"  His  representation  of  *  Luke  *  is  original  and  beauti- 
ful. The  assumption  of  the  lowly  penitent  after  a  course  of 
extravagance  and  folly  is  among  the  most  life-like  scenes 
ever  portrayed  by  this  master  of  the  passions.  Who  that 
has  witnessed  his  representation  can  ever  forget  his  hypo- 
critical plea  for  mercy  when  discovered  in  his  treachery,  and 
his  sudden,  tiger-like  spring,  after  finding  it  disregarded,  and 
the  bold  transition  from  the  fawning  suppliant  to  the  daring 
ruffian,  defying,  even  in  defeat,  his  injured  brother  ?  His 
representation  of  this  character  alone  would  stamp  him 
superior  to  any  actor  on  the  stage.  His  '  Reuben  Glenroy '  is 
also  much  admired  for  its  chaste  and  beautiful  performance. 
In  tender  passages,  the  mournful  and  touching  cadences  of  his 
voice  appeal  directly  to  the  heart ;  and  in  the  representation 
of  sterner  passages,  his  acting  approximates  to  the  sublime. 

«As  'Richard  the  Third,'  '  Pescara,'  'Sir  Giles  Over- 
reach,' '  Sir  Edward  Mortimer,'  *  Shylock,'  and  '  lago,'  he  is 
without  an  equal" 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       97 

"  His  fifth  act  of  *  lago '  was  a  most  exquisite  portrayal  of 
character ;  although  '  Othello '  in  this  scene  usually  engrosses 
the  attention  of  the  audience,  and  '  lago '  has  but  few  lines 
to  utter,  yet  with  Junius  Brutus  Booth  as  the  crafty  villain, 
cowed,  entrapped,  with  all  his  evil  passions  glowering  in  his 
face,  we  have  seen  his  auditors  fascinated  as  it  Were  with 
horror,  oblivious  of  all  other  characters  on  the  stage,  and 
seizing  the  first  pause  in  the  action  of  the  scene  to  vent  their 
feelings  in  rapturous  applause.  The  secret  workings  of 
'  lago's '  mind  flashed  In  those  powerful  eyes,  the  face  red- 
dened with  suppressed  rage,  then  turned  livid  with  hate, 
and  the  bitter  intensity  with  which  he  expressed-the  lines,  — 

'  Demand  me  nothing ; 
What  you  know,  you  know : 
From  this  time  forth  I  never  will  speak  word,' 

was  marvellous. 

"  During  the  remainder  of  the  scene  his  countenance  re- 
vealed what  the  tongue  disdained  to  speak,  and  retained  its 
magnetic  Influence  upon  the  beholders  until  his  final  exit."  * 

"  Mr.  Booth  commands  admiration,  and,  without  resorting 
to  the  usual  method  of  securing  approbation  and  applause, — 
by  the  aid  of  splendid  dresses  and  stage  tricks,  —  has  won  an 
imperishable  fame.  Like  the  wand  of  Midas,  that  converted 
everything  it  touched  into  gold,  so,  in  the  crucible  of  Booth's 

*  The  first  play  my  father  ever  witnessed  was  "Othello,"  at  Co- 
vent  Garden  Theatre,  In  1812.  During  the  performance,  he  asked  a 
person  who  sat  next  him  if  "  lago  would  not  be  hanged  in  the  last 
act" 

7^ 


98  PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

genius,  every  character  that  he  attempts  comes  forth  redolent 
of  excellence." 

John  Howard  Payne  thus  criticises  my  father's 
performance  of  "  Sir  Edward  Mortimer,"  in  the 
play  of  the  "  Iron  Chest :  "  — 

"  We  must  own  we  have  never  seen  either  that  char- 
acter, or  Booth  in  his  palmiest  days,  with  more  unmixed  de- 
light. The  perturbations  of  a  spirit  generous  and  grand  by 
nature,  and  idolizing  popularity,  but  racked  with  a  heavy 
and  agonizing  and  damning  secret,  and  jealously  and  un- 
slumberingly  on  the  alert  for  symptoms  of  its  being  suspect- 
ed, were  pictured  with  the  genius  and  the  power  of  a  master 
So  was  the  whirlwind  of  despair  at  the  withering  secret's 
final  detection.  There  was  variety  and  truth  in  the  artist's 
enunciation  and  attitudes  and  countenance,  and  these  qualities 
■were  carried  even  to  the  expression  of  the  hands,  which, 
could  they  have  been  disjoined  from  that  of  the  rest  of  his  per- 
son, at  any  one  point  of  the  passion,  would,  at  a  glance,  have 
disclosed,  to  an  instructed  eye,  the  Hercules  in  his  art.  This 
manual  eloquence  (if  we  may  venture  such  a  phrase)  escapes 
imitation,  even  in  painting  and  sculpture,  by  mediocrity,  but, 
if  ever  studied,  as  equally  precious  and  difficult  by  those  who 
know  how  to  excel.  Last  evening,  Mr.  Booth  displayed  it 
vdth  surpassing  skill. 

A  singular  anecdote,  indirectly  connected  -  with 
this  play,   was  told   by  the    celebrated   Godwin. 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.       99 

Observed  Lord  Byron  to  the  veteran,  "  Give  the 
world  another  '  Caleb  Williams ' "  (the  novel  of 
Godwin's  on  which  the  "  Iron  Chest "  was  found- 
ed). "  My  lord,  I  suffered  as  severely  in  imagin- 
ing '  Caleb  Williams,'  as  any  character  whose  ago- 
nies I  have  described.  Another  work  like  that 
would  kill  me."  "  No  matter,  —  write  it,"  replied 
Byron. 


100       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 


XL 


"  I  fooafir  not  enter  on  mj  list  of  fmnl>8 
Sl^e  man  hr^o  neeblesslg  sets  foot  ngon  a  fnorm." 


N  January,  1832,  my  father  opened  at  the 
Chestnut-Street  Theatre,  Philadelphia,  in 
"  Sertorius,"  a  new  play,  written  by  the 
eminent  lawyer,  David  Paul  Brown.  This 
performance  is  spoken  of  as  being  exquisite- 
ly beautiful,  and  the  tragedy  one  of  great 
interest  and  sublimity.  At  the  termination  of  this 
engagement,  he  visited,  professionally,  New  Or- 
leans, Mobile,  Louisville,  and  Cincinnati.  In 
1833,  the  following  letter  was  addressed  to  my 
grandfather.  His  letters  generally  present  a  cu- 
rious combination  of  theology,  metaphysics,  hy- 
giene, and  farming :  -^ 

Friday  Evk. 

Dear  Father, — The  weather  was  so  bad,  that  the  man- 
agers closed  the  house,  on  Wednesday  evening.    I  had  to 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     101 

play  on  Thursday,  in  lieu  of  it,  and  again  to-night.  As  Joe 
■will  want  "  Fanny  "  to  finish  the  ploughing,  I  send  her  home. 
Let  the  gentleman  who  bears  this  have  "  Peacock  "  to  ride 
back  to  Baltimore.  Let  Joe  sow  the  timothy  in  the  meadow. 
Tell  Junius  not  to  go  opossum  himting,  or  setting  rabbit-traps, 
but  to  let  the  poor  devils  live.  Cruelty  is  the  offspring  of 
idleness  of  mind  and  beastly  ignorance,  and,  in  children, 
should  be  repressed,  and  not  encouraged,  as  is  too  often  the 
case,  by  unthinking  beings  who  surround  them.  A  thief,  who 
takes  property  from  another,  has  it  in  his  power,  should  he 
repent,  to  make  a  restoration ;  but  the  robber  of  life  never 
can  give  back  what  be  has  wantonly  and  sacrilegiously  taken 
from  beings  perhaps  innocent,  and  equally  capable  of  enjoy- 
ing pleasure  or  suffering  torture  with  himself.  The  ideas  of 
Pythagoras  I  have  adopted ;  and  as  respects  our  accountabil- 
ity to  animals  hereafter,  nothing  that  man  can  preach  can 
make  me  believe  to  the  contrary.  "Every  death  its  own 
avenger  breeds."  Enough  of  this.  I  think  there  is  some 
parsnip-seed  hanging  in  a  paper,  by  the  looking-glass,  in  the 
parlor.  Let  Joe  sow  some,  on  manure,  in  small  trenches, 
in  the  garden,  —  say  three  or  four  rows. 

Read  the  wondrous  tale  of  "Alroy,"  by  DTsraeli.  He 
wa^s,  in  the  twelfth  century,  the  Jewish  Messiah,  and,*  but  for 
a  woman,  —  the  daughter  of  a  robber's  daughter,  —  would 
have  given  us,  perhaps,  another  religion,  —  as  all  were 
obliged,  by  the  theocracy,  who  were  his  ministers  and  sup- 
porters, to  embrace  the  Hebrew  faith,  or  die.  Junius  is  a 
good  boy,  and  will  make  a  scholar  of  no  mean  capacity.  I 
bope  you  enjoy  health,  and  take  my  theory,  founded  on  pos- 


102     PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

itive  experience,  as  respects  going  to  sleep.  Rise  early, 
walk,  or  use  some  exercise  in  the  open  air,  and,  when  going 
to  bed,  drink  a  warm  liquid,  —  either  weak  grog,  gruel,  or 
even  water;  drink  nearly  or  quite  a  pint  at  one  draught. 
Lie  down  directly,  and  in  fifteen  minutes  you  will  sink  into 
a  comfortable  lethargy.  Coffee  and  tea,  however,  must  be 
avoided,  as  they  prevent  sleep.  A  slice  of  bread-and-butter 
and  an  onion  or  lettuce  for  supper,  prior  to  this  potation,  is 
good,  —  much  opium,  and  of  a  harmless  quantity,  being  con- 
tained in  the  latter  vegetable. 

God  bless  you.     I  hope  soon  to  see  you  again. 

Your  affectionate  son, 

J.  B.  Booth. 

My  father  entered  into  an  engagement  with 
Mr.  Hamblin,  to  plaj'  three  nights  a  week  for 
the  period  of  a  year.  The  Richmond  Theatre 
was  taken  for  this  purpose,  and  a  part  of  the 
company  proceeded  in  a  stage-coach  to  Bal- 
timore. On  the  road  to  Bel  Air,  the  stage 
broke  down,  and  the  party,  including  Miss 
Vincent,  Hambhn,  Flynn,  Phillips,  and  others, 
were  compelled  to  remain  over  night  at  "  the 
Farm."  They  walked  a  long  distance  to  the 
cottage,  and  evidently  disturbed  the  monotony 
of  forest  life,  for  the  servants,  who  have  grown 
gray  at  the  farm,  were  wont   to  tell  us  of  the 


m-  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BR UTUS  BOOTH.     103 

merry  actors  who  many  years  ago  made  such 
an   unceremonious  visit. 

Many  extravagant  stories  are  told  of  my 
father's  "  farmer  life,"  and  of  his  vending  his  prod- 
uce in  distant  markets,  but  which  of  course 
are  mere  exaggerations ;  he  was  always,  even  in 
late  years,  frugal  and  industrious,  practising 
manual  labor,  exercises,  etc,  and  particularly 
fond  of  farming  on  a  miniature  scale ;  but  at 
the  farm,  although  things  indigenous  to  the  soil 
grew  there  in  wild  profusion,  the  crops,  which 
were  put  into  the  ground  with  labor  and  ability, 
yielded  remarkably  small  harvests.  In  order  to 
supply  laborers  and  cattle,  and  afford  a  sufficiency 
"  to  haul  twenty-five  miles  to  market,"  the  produce 
must  necessarily  have  been  exceedingly  abundant ; 
and  this  slight  practical  view  of  the  case  will  show 
the  inconsistency  of  many  idle  rumors  connected 
Avith  this  subject.  My  father  experienced  far 
more  pleasure  in  roving  through  these  dense  forests, 
and  contemplating  nature  in  her  rough,  wild  state," 
than  by  clearing  his  ground  and  turning  the  broad 
acres  to  profitable  account,  after  the  manner  of 
thrifty  farmers. 

But  to  return  fi-om  this 'digression  ;   the  stillness 


104      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

of  the  woods  had  become  oppressive  to  the  jovial 
guests,  while  to  the  master  of  these  solitudes  the 
faintest  sound  of  insect,  breeze,  or  brook  was  full 
of  a  joyous  mystery,  and  he  manifested  his  sur- 
prise when  questioned  by  one  of  the  party, — 
"  Booth,  how  can  you  exist  in  such  a  wilder- 
ness ?  " 

On  the  following  afternoon  the  company  pro- 
ceeded to  Baltimore,  and,  arriving  in  Richmond, 
opened  to  a  crowded  house.  My  father  became 
the  occasion  of  a  newspaper  controversy,  arising 
from  his  refusal  to  answer  the  call  of  the  audi- 
ence at  the  fall  of  the  curtain.  On  the  fourth 
night  of  his  engagement,  he  received  intelligence 
of  the  dangerous  illness  of  one  of  his  children, 
and  abruptly  left  the  city,  without  assigning  the 
reason  for  his  departure.  The  child  lived  only 
a  short  time  after  his  arrival,  and  was  buried 
in  the  little  graveyard  on  the  farm.  My  father 
then  proceeded  to  Baltimore  with  the  intention 
of  completing  his  engagement  in  Richmond,  but 
was  there  informed  that  the  theatre  was  closed, 
and  Mr.  Hamblin  gone  to  New  York.  Being 
detained  in  Baltimore  for  several  days  by  the 
snow,  a  letter   arrived  from  Bel  Air,  requesting 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     105 

his  immediate  return  home  to  the  sick-bed  of 
another  of  his  children.  He  arrived  only  in 
time  to  witness  her  death. 

This  sad  affliction  preyed  so  heavily  on  the 
mind  of  my  father  that  he  determined  never  to 
appear  upon  the  stage  again.  A  serious  illness 
followed  this  bereavement,  from  which  he  recov- 
ered slowly ;  and,  in  the  mean  time,  Mr.  Hamblin 
had  brought  a  suit  against  him  for  breaking  his 
engagement. 


106      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 


XII 


"  ^  goob  oU»  man,  sir,  — \t  fnill  be  talWng.' 


dL^ 


ICHARD  BOOTH,  my  grandfather,  being 
a  barrister,  prevailed  upon  his  son  to  allow 
him  to  go  to  Philadelphia  and  undertake 
the  defence  of  the  suit.  My  father  en- 
trusted him  with  important  information 
regarding  Hamblin,  and  requested  him  to 
proceed  at  once  to  Mr.  Wemyss  and  acquaint 
him  with  the  full  particulars  of  the  case.  Aged 
and  infirm  as  the  old  gentleman  was,  he  set  out 
upon  this  tedious  journey  with  alacrity,  taking  for 
protector  and  valet  de  chambre,  our  faithful  black 
man,  Joe,  who,  although  a  slave  for  life  to  a  neigh- 
bor of  my  father's,  passed  from  "  youth  to  hoary 
age  "  at  the  farm. 

Such  entire  confidence  was  placed  in  the 
honesty  of  this  servant  that  his  master.  Dr. 
Bond,   readily  consented    he  should  accompany 


TN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     107 

grandfather,  —  well  knowing  that,  if  he  chose, 
the  man  could  assert  his  freedom  as  soon  as  he 
touched  the  soil  of  Pennsylvania.  It  was  his 
pride  in  after  years  to  tell  how  he  repaid  his 
master's  confidence  by  returning  home ;  and  I 
may  add,  that  he  died  in  our  employ,  a  true- 
hearted,  faithful,  good  old  man,  enjoying  the  love 
and  respect  of  all  who  knew  him. 

After  the  wearisome  journey  by  stage-coaches 
from  Bel  Air  to  Philadelphia,  grandfather  and  Joe 
proceeded  to  a  hotel  ;  the  contrast  they  presented 
was  strikingly  unique. 

My  grandfather  with  his  tall,  slender  figure, 
arrayed  in  knee-breeches,  shoe-buckles,  and  with 
snow-white  hair  wrapt  in  a  queue,  was  closely  fol- 
lowed and  watched  by  this  swarthy  giant  of  the 
woods  (who  boasted  his  lineal  descent  from  a 
Madagascan  prince),  and  his  immense  stature 
and.  jet  black  face,  no  less  than  his  vigilance, 
occasioned  much  remark. 

Mr.  Hamblin  met  my  grandfather  at  the  hotel, 
and,  recognizing  him  immediately,  introduced  him^ 
self  as  "a  member  of  the  theatrical  profession;" 
upon  which  the  old  gentleman,  dehghted  to  find  a 
companion  in  a  strange  city,  and  one  belonging  to 


108       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

his  son's  profession,  inquired,  "  if  he  was  acquainted 
with  a  rascally  manager  named  Hamblin  ?  "  Mr. 
H.  replied,  "  that  he  knew  him  very  well  in- 
deed." My  grandfather  then  told  him  that  this 
Hamblin  was  a  great  scoundrel,  and  had  brought  a 
suit  against  his  son  Brutus,  who  was  overwhelmed 
with  illness  and  domestic  afflictions ;  and,  with  the 
garrulity  of  age,  he  related  that  he  was  bearing 
important  messages  to  Mr.  Wemyss,  which  gen- 
tleman, he  asserted,  would  "  settle  Hamblin's  infa- 
mous suit  at  once." 

Mr.  Hamblin,  greatly  amused,  coincided  with 
all  the  abuse  the  old  gentleman  lavished  upon  the 
manager.  Grandfather  was  not  aware  of  his  mis- 
take until  he  had  an  interview  with  Mr.  Wemyss, 
and,  after  imparting  to  that  gentleman  the  requisite 
information,  he  alluded  to  a  very  pleasant  person 
whom  he  encountered  at  the  hotel,  who  was  also  a 
member  of  the  theatrical  profession,  and  to  whom 
he  had  confided  the  nature  of  his  business,  etc. 
Mr.  Wemyss  anxiously  inquired  the  name  of  this 
"  very  pleasant  person  j"  but  grandfather,  unable 
to  acquaint  him  with  it,  entered  into  a  minute  de- 
scription of  his  appearance,  manner,  etc.,  and,  to 
his    utter    chagrin    and    the    merriment  of   Mr. 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     109 

Wemyss,  they  discovered  that  the  unknown  friend 
was  the  "  rascally  Hamblin  "  himself.  The  case 
was  finally  adjusted  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties, 
and  Mr.  Hamblin  forebore  using  such  information 
to  the  disadvantage  of  the  defendant. 

The  engagement  was  renewed  with  Mr.  Hamb- 
lin for  the  Bowery  Theatre,  New  York,  my  father 
consenting  to  perform  three  nights  a  week  during 
the  period  of  three  months.  This  theatre  at  that 
time  was  in  its  palmy  days  under  Mr.  Hamblin's 
management,  and  was  conducted  in  a  manner 
superior  to  the  Park.  My  father  opened  with 
"  Richard  the  Third,"  to  a  house  yielding  $1300. 
He  engaged  to  play  on  the  intervening  nights  at 
the  Arch  Street  Theatre,  Philadelphia,  under  the 
direction  of  Mr.  Duffy. 

This  engagement  continued  for  the  space  of  one 
month,  my  father  playing  alternately  in  the  two 
cities  and  travelling  the  intermediate  distance  in 
stage-coaches.  The  last  night  of  this  engagement 
in  Philadelphia,  he  acted  "  Oroonoko  ;  "  and  as  he 
was  hurrying  through  the  performance,  he  fancied 
some  dissatisfaction  was  expressed  by  the  audience. 
He  arose,  after  killing  himself^  and  walking  to  the 
footlights,   exclaimed,   "  I'll   sell  you  as  General 


110     PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

Jackson  did  :  I'll  veto  you."  At  this  period  the 
celebrated  veto  messages  of  General  Jackson  were 
creating  great  excitement  in  political  circles. 

About  this  time  my  father  purchased  two  Egyp- 
tian mummies,  with  a  view  of  presenting  them  to 
General  Jackson.  They  were  to  be  sent  to  the 
Hermitage  ;  but,  finding  that  they  were  such  rare 
specimens,*  it  was  suggested  that  they  should  be  re- 
served for  the  Museum  in  Washington,  for  which 
Mr.  Varden  was  then  collecting  curiosities.  The 
mummies  were  priests  of  the  god  "  Apis ; "  and, 
on  examination,  the  papyrus  manuscripts,  although 
in  excellent  and  legible  order,  proved  to  be  of  such 
antiquity  that  it  was  impossible  for  the  literati  of 
^  that  day  to  translate  their  meaning. 

Languages,  like  nations  and  religions,  take  their 
turns  and  seem  to  prove  the  mutability  of  nature. 
Mr.  Varden's  design  being  ineffectual,  the  mum- 
mies were  subsequently  deposited  in  the  Patent 
Office,  Washington,  and  removed  thence  to  the 
Smithsonian  Institute. 

My  father's  professional  visits  during  the  next 
two  years  were  mostly  confined  to  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  and  Boston.  When  not  engaged  pro- 
fessionally, his  time  was  devoted  to  the  farm,  occu- 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     Ill 

piedwith  what  he  termed  "  the  noblest  employment 
of  man,"  tilling  the  ground.  His  field  labor  was 
pleasantly  varied  with  literary  pursuits ;  and  his 
library,  although  select,  was  by  no  means  extensive. 
A  few  rustic  shelves  contained  his  books,  which 
consisted  of  the  Bible,  Shakspeare,  Byron,  Shelley, 
Coleridge,  and  Keats,  Greek  and  Latin  authors,  Al- 
fieri,  and  old  French  volumes. 

Mr.  Flynn,  having  obtained  from  my  father  a 
promise  to  perform  for  his  benefit,  sought  him  in  his 
retirement  to  remind  him  that  the  time  of  "  an- 
nouncement "  was  rapidly  approaching.  Crossing 
a  field  he  observed  a  person  at  a  short  distance 
digging  potatoes,  and  called  out  to  him,  "  Hollo, 
boy!  where's  Mr.  Booth  ?  "  My  father  looked  up 
from  his  work,  and  replied,  "  Here,  at  your 
service." 

Mr.  Flynn  reminded  him  of  the  benefit,  and  the 
potato-patch  was  reluctantly  left  for  the  servants 
to  finish. 

In  due  time  the  two  friends  were  on  the  road  to 
New  York,  where  my  father  appeared  as  "  Richard 
the  Third,"  in  fulfilment  of  this  promise.  At  an 
early  hour  the  house  was  densely  crowded,  a  por- 
tion of  the  stage  being  occupied  by  the  anxious 
throng ;  — 


112      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

"  Up  went  the  curtain,  and  on  came  '  the  crook'd-backed 
I^Tant,'  his  hands  and  face  reddened  by  exposure  to  the  sun, 
and  health  and  vigor  apparent  in  every  movement.  He 
never  appeared  to  better  advantage,  there  was  a  firmness 
and  dignity  in  his  tread,  a  brilliancy  in  his  eye,  and  a  man- 
liness in  the  tones  of  his  voice  worthy  of  his  palmiwt  days. 
In  '  Richard,'  Booth's  small  person  seemed  to  expand,  and 
the  genius  of  the  man  betrayed  itself  in  every  look  and  ges- 
ture. With  reckless  indifference  he  makes  his  way  to  the 
blood-cemented  crown,  crushing  obstacles  and  commanding 
circumstances,  until  the  mind  of  the  spectator  almost  im- 
a^nes  he  is  aided  by  some  supernal  power  in  the  career  of 
his  wild  and  romantic  ambition.  In  the  tent  scene,  he  rushes 
from  his  couch,  his  face  of  the  ashy  hue  of  death,  his  limbs 
trembling,  his  eyes  rolling  and  gleaming  with  an  unearthly 
glare,  and  his  whole  face  convulsed  with  intense  excitement. 
It  was  the  very  acme  of  acting,  if  such  it  can  be  called,  and 
the  death-like  silence  of  the  audience  was  a  higher  com- 
pUment  to  the  actor  than  the  long  and  thundering  plaudits 
that  followed  the  performance." 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNl US  BR UTUS  BOOTH.     tl3 


XIII. 


"Clown.       WL\si  ia  %  opinion  of  ^gt^agoias  tontmiing  fcilir  fofel  ? 
MdlvoUo.  S^at  %  ftoxtlof  oni  gianimm  vta^\i  ^Hplg  inhabit  a  birb." 


R.'  BOOTH  proceeded  jfrom  New  York 
to  New  Orleans,  thence  to  Mobile,  and 
afterward  through  the  Western  cities. 
During  this  tour  a  calamity,  which 
seemed  to  increase  in  strength  and  fre- 
quency with  maturer  years,  assumed  a 
singular  phase.  In  these  records  of  his  youth, 
when  his  profession  held  every  incentive  to  am- 
bition, energy,  and  indefatigable  labor,  — when  his 
habits  were  most  temperate  and  abstemious,  —  we 
occasionally  trace  those  slight  aberrations  of  mind 
which  mark  that  exquisite  turning-point  between 
genius  and  madness.  To  those  accustomed  to  the 
intense  excitabiUty  of  peculiar  minds,  who  witness 


114     PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

how  the  brain  of  the  actor  is  wrought  upon  by  the 
assumption  of  harrowing,  though  fictitious  scenes, 
and  who  feel  how  frequently  that  delineator  of  the 
passions  thinks,  dreams,  exists  in  a  sphere  of 
idealty,  it  is  neither  strange  nor  difficult  to  com- 
prehend how  such  minds  are  overthrown  by  the 
reaction,  and  oftentimes  ruined  utterly. 

"  Like  sweet  bells  jangled 
Out  of  tune,  and  harsh." 

Thus  from  childhood  we  learned  of  our  mother, 
the  devoted  and  unwearying  nurse  of  him  who 
endured  these  periodical  tortures  of  mind,  to 
regard  these  seasons  of  abstraction  with  sad  and 
reverent  forbearance. 

I  subjoin  the  following  erratic  adventure,  which 
is  minutely  described  in  the  "  Atlantic  Monthly  " 
of  September,  1861 :  — 

**  MY  ODD  ADVENTURE  V^^TH  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH. 

"  More  than  twenty  years  ago,  being  pastor  of  a  church  in 
one  of  our  Western  cities,  I  was  sitting,  one  evening,  medi- 
tating over  my  coal  fire,  which  was  cheerfully  blazing  up  and 
gloomily  subsiding  again,  in  the  way  that  Western  coal  fires 
in  Western  coal  grates  were  then  very  much  in  the  habit  of 
doing.  I  was  a  young  and  inexperienced  minister.  I  had 
come  to  the  West,  fresh  from  a  New  England  divinity-school, 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BR UTU8  BOOTH.      115 

with  magnificent  ideas  of  the  vast  work  -which  was  to  be 
done,  and  with  rather  a  vague  notion  of  the  way  in  which  I 
was  to  do  it  But  to  my  story,' — a  knock  came  at  the  door; 
on  opening  it  a  negro  boy  with  grinning  face  presented  him- 
self, holding  a  note.    It  was  as  follows  : 

•United  States  Hotel,  Jan.  4th,  1834. 

*  Sir,  —  I  hope  you  will  excuse  the  hberty  of  a  stranger 
addressing  you  on  a  subject  he  feels  great  interest  in.  It  is  to 
require  a  place  of  interment  for  his  friend  [s]  in  the  church- 
yard, and  also  the  expense  attendant  on  the  purchase  of  such 
place  of  temporary  repose. 
'  Your  communication  on  this  matter  will  greatly  oblige, 
'  Sir,  your  respectful  emd  obedient  servant, 

*J.  B.  Booth.' 

'  " It  will  be  observed  that  after  the  word  ^friend'  an  [s] 
follows  in  brackets.  In  the  original,  the  word  was  followed 
by  a  small  mark  which  might  or  might  not  give  it  the  plural 
form.  It  could  be  read  either  friend  or  friends ;  but  as  we 
do  not  usually  find  ourselves  called  upon  to  bury  more  than 
one  friend  at  a  time,  the  hasty  reader  would  not  notice  the 
mark,  but  would  read  \i  friend.  So  did  I,  and  only  afterward, 
in  consequence  of  the  denouement,  did  I  notice  that  it 
might  be  read  in  the  other  way.  Taking  my  hat,  I  stepped 
into  the  street.  First  I  went  to  my  neighbor,  the  mayor 
of  the  city,  in  pursuit  of  the  desired  information. 

"  Finding  no  one  at  home,  and  so  not  being  able  to  learn 
about  the  price  of  lots  in  the  church-yard,  I  walked  on  to  the 


116      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

hotel,  and  asked  to  see  Mr.  J.  B.  Booth.  I  was  shown  into 
a  private  parlor,  where  he  and  another  gentleman  were  sit- 
ting by  a  table.  On  the  table  were  candles,  a  decanter  of 
♦-wine,  and  glasses,  a  plate  of  bread,  cigars,  and  a  book.  Mr. 
Booth  rose  when  I  announced  myself,  and  I  at  once  recog- 
nized the  distinguished  actor.  I  had  met  him  once  before, 
and  travelled  with  him  for  part  of  a  day.  He  was  a  short 
man,  but  one  of  those  who  seem  tall  when  they  choose  to  do 
so.  He  had  a  clear  blue  eye  and  fair  complexion.  In  re- 
pose there  was  nothing  to  attract  attention  to  him ;  but  when 
excited,  his  expression  was  so  animated,  his  eye  was  so 
brilliant,  and  his  figure  so  full  of  life,  that  he  became  another 
man. 

"  Having  told  him  that  I  had  not  been  successful  in  pro- 
curing the  information  he  desired,  but  would  bring  it  to  him 
on  the  follomng  morning,  he  thanked  me,  and  asked  me 
to  sit  down.  It  passed  through  my  mind,  that,  as  he  had  lost 
a  friend  and  was  a  stranger  in  the  place,  I  might  be  of  use 
to  him.  Perhaps  he  needed  consolation,  and  it  was  my 
office  to  sympathize  with  the  bereaved.  So  I  sat  down. 
But  it  did  not  appear  that  he  was  disposed  to  seek  for  such 
comfort,  or  engage  in  such  discourse.  Once  or  twice  I  en- 
deavored, but  without  success,  to  turn  the  conversation  to  his 
presumed  loss.  I  asked  him  if  the  death  of  his  friend  was 
sudden. 

" '  Very,'  he  replied. 

" '  Was  he  a  relative  ?  * 

" '  Distant,'  said  he,  and  changed  the  subject. 

•'  It  is  twenty-seven  years  since  these  events  took  place, 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.      Ill 

and  I  do  not  pretend  to  give  the  conversation  very  accurate- 
ly, but  what  occurred  was  very  much  like  this.  It  was  a  dia- 
logue between  Booth  and  myself,  the  third  party  saying  not 
a  word  during  the  evening.  Mr.  Booth  first  asked  me  to 
take  a  glass  of  wine,  or  a  cigar,  both  of  which  I  declined. 

" '  Well,'  said  he,  'let  me  try  to  entertain  you  in  another 
way.  When  you  came  I  was  reading  aloud  to  my  friend. 
Perhaps  you  would  like  to  hear  me  read  ?  * 

" '  I  certainly  should,'  said  I. 

"  ♦  What  shall  I  read  ? ' 

" '  Whatever  you  like  best  What  you  Uke  to  read,  I  shall 
Uke  to  hear.' 

" '  Then  suppose  I  attempt  Coleridge's  '  Ancient  Mariner.' 
Have  you  time  for  it  ?     It  is  long.' 

"  *  Yes,  I  should  like  it  much.' 

"  So  he  read  aloud  the  whole  of  this  magnificent  poem.  I 
have  listened  to  Macready,  to  Edmund  Kean,  to  Bachel,  to 
Jenny  Lind,  to  Fanny  Kemble,  to  Webster,  Clay,  Everett, 
Harrison  Gray  Otis, —  to  Dr.  Channing,  Henry  Ward  Beech- 
er,  Wendell  Phillips,  Father  Taylor,  Kalph  Waldo  Emerson, 
—  to  Victor  Hugo,  Coquerel,  Lacordaire  ;  but  none  of  them 
affected  me  as  I  was  affected  by  this  reading.  I  forgot  the 
place  where  I  was,  the  motive  of  my  coming,  the  reader  him- 
self. I  knew  the  poem  almost  by  heart,  yet  I  seemed  never 
to  have  heard  it  before.  I  was  by  the  side  of  the  doomed' 
mariner.  I  was  the  wedding-guest,  hstening  to  his  story, 
held  by  his  glittering  eye.  I  was  with  him  in  the  storm, 
among  the  ice,  beneath  the  hot  and  copper  sky.  Booth  be- 
came so  absorbed  ip.  his  reading,  so  identified  with  the  poem, 


118      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

that  His  tone  and  manner  were  saturated  with  a  feeling  of 
reality.  He  actually  thought  himself  the  mariner,  —  so  I 
am  persuaded,  —  while  he  was  reading.  As  the  poem  pro- 
ceeded, and  we  plunged  deeper  and  deeper  into  its  mystic 
horrors,  the  actual  world  receded  into  a  dim,  indefinable 
distance.  The  magnetism  of  this  marvellous  interpreter  had 
caught  up  himself,  and  me  with  him,  into  dreamland,  from 
which  we  gently  descended  at  the  end  of  Part  VI.,  and  'the 
spell  was  snapt.' 

*  And  now,  all  in  my  own  countree, 
I  stood  OQ  the  firm  land,'  — 

returned  from  a  voyage  into  the  inane.  Again  I  found  my- 
self sitting  in  the  little  hotel  parlor,  by  the  side  of  a  man 
with  ghttering  eye,  with  a  third  somebody  on  the  other  side 
of  the  table. 

"  I  drew  a  long  breath. 

"  Booth  turned  over  the  leaves  of  the  volume.  It  was  the 
collected  Works  of  Coleridge,  Shelley,  and  Keats. 

" '  Did  you  ever  read,'  said  he, '  Shelley's  argument  against 
the  use  of  animal  food,  at  the  end  of  "  Queen  Mab  "  ? ' 

" '  Yes,  I  have  read  it.' 

" '  And  what  do  you  think  of  the  argument  ? ' 

" '  Ingenious,  but  not  satisfactory.' 

" '  To  me  it  is  satisfactory.  I  have  long  been  convinced 
that  it  is  wrong  to  take  the  life  of  an  animal  for  our  pleas- 
ure. I  eat  no  animal  food.  There  is  my  supper,'  —  pointing 
to  a  plate  of  bread.  '  And,-  indeed,'  continued  he, '  I  think 
the  Bible  favors  this  view.     Have  you  a  Bible  with  you  ? ' 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     119 

"  I  had  not. 

"  Booth  thereupon  rang  the  bell,  and  when  l^e  boy  pre- 
sented himself,  called  for  a  Bible.  Garfon  disappeared,  and 
came  back  soon  with  a  Bible  on  a  waiter. 

"  Our  tragedian  took  the  book,  and  proceeded  to  argue 
his  point  by  means  of  texts  selected  skilfully  here  and  there, 
from  Genesis  to  Revelation.  He  referred  to  the  fact  that  it 
was  not  till  after  the  Deluge  men  were  allowed,  'for  the 
hardness  of  their  hearts,'  as  he  maintained,  to  eat  meat.  But 
in  the  beginning  it  was  not  so ;  only  herbs  were  given  to 
mdn,  at  first,  for  food.  He  quoted  the  Psalmist  (Psalm  civ. 
14)  to  show  that  man's  food  came  from  the  earth,  and  was 
the  green  herb ;  and  contended  that  the  reason  why  Daniel 
and  his  friends  were  fairer  and  fatter  than  the  children  who 
ate  their  portion  of  meat  was,  that  they  ate  only  pulse  (Dan- 
iel i.  12  — 15).  These  are  all  of  his  scriptural  arguments 
which  I  now  recall ;  but  I  thought  them  very  ingenious  at 
the  time. 

"  The  argument  took  some  time.  Then  he  recite'd  one  or 
two  pieces  bearing  on  the  same  subject,  closing  with  Byron's 
Lines  to  his  Ne^oundland  Dog. 

"  '  In  connection  with  that  poem,'  he  continued, '  a  singu- 
lar event  once  happened  to  me.  I  was  acting  in  Petersburg, 
Virginia.  My  theatrical  engagement  was  just  concluded, 
and  I  dined  with  a  party  of  friends  one  afternoon  before 
going  away.  We  sat  after  dinner,  singing  songs,  reciting 
poetry,  and  relating  anecdotes.  At  last  I  recited  those  lines 
of  Byron  on  his  dog.  I  was  sitting  by  the  fireplace,  my  feet 
resting  against  the  jamb,  and  a  single  candle  was  burning  on 


120      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

the  mantel.  It  had  become  dark.  Just  as  I  came  to  the  end 
of  the  poem,  — 

"  To  mark  a  friend's  remains  these  stones  arise; 
I  never  knew  but  one,  and  here  he  lies,"  — 

my  foot  slipped  down  the  jamb,  and  struck  a  dog,  who  was 
lying  beneath.  The  dog  sprang  up,  howled,  and  ran  out  of 
the  room,  and  at  the  same  moment  the  candle  went  out.  I 
asked  whose  dog  it  was.  No  one  knew.  No  one  had  seen 
the  dog  till  that  moment.  Perhaps  you  will  smile  at  me,  sir, 
and  think  me  superstitious,  —  but  I  could  not  but  think  that 
the  animal  vfas  brought  there  by  occult  sympathy.* 

"  Having  uttered  these  oracular  words  in  a  very  solemn 
tone.  Booth  rose,  and,  taking  one  of  the  candles,  sjud  to  me, 
'  Would  you  like  to  look  at  the  remains  ? ' 

"  I  assented.  Asking  our  silent  friend  to  excuse  us,  he  led 
me  into  an  adjoining  chamber.  I  looked  toward  a  bed  in 
the  corner  of  the  room,  expecting  to  see  a  corpse.  There 
was  none  there.  But  Booth  went  to  another  corner  of  the 
room,  where,  spread  out  upon  a  large  sheet,  I  saw  —  what 
do  you  suppose,  dear  reader  ? 

^^  About  a  bushel  of  wild  pigeons  ! 

"  Booth  knelt  down  by  the  side  of  the  birds,  and  with 
every  evidence  of  sincere  affliction  began  to  mourn  over 
them.  He  took  them  up  in  his  hands  tenderly,  and  pressed 
them  to  his  heart.  For  a  few  moments  he  seemed  to  forget 
my  presence.  For  this  I  was  glad,  for  it  gave  me  a  little 
time  to  recover  from  my  astonishment,  and  to  consider  rap- 
idly what  it  might  mean.     As  I  look  back  now,  and  think  of 


m  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     121 

the  oddity  of  the  situation,  I  rather  wonder  at  my  own  self- , 
possession.  It  was  a  sufficiently  trying  position.  At  first  I 
thought  it  was  a  hoax,  an  intentional  piece  of  practical  fun, 
of  which  I  was  to  be  the  object.  But  even  in  the  moment 
allowed  me  to  think,  I  decided  that  this  could  not  be.  For  I 
recalled  the  long  and  elaborate  Bible  argument  against  taking 
the  life  of  animals,  which  could  hardly  have  been  got  up  for 
the  occasion.  I  considered  also  that  as  a  joke  it  would  be 
too  poor  in  itself,  and  too  unworthy  a  man  like  Booth.  So 
I  decided  that  it  was  a  sincere  conviction  —  an  idea,  exag- 
gerated perhaps  to  the  borders  of  monomania — of  the  sacred- 
ness  of  all  life.  And  I  determined  to  treat  the  conviction 
with  respect,  as  all  sincere  and  religious  convictions  deserve 
to  be  treated. 

"  I  also  saw  the  motive  for  this  particular  course  of  action. 
During  the  week  immense  quantities  of  the  wild  pigeon 
(passenger  pigeon,  Columba  migratoria)  had  been  flying  over 
the  city,  in  their  way  to  and  from  a  roost  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. These  birds  had  been  slaughtered  by  myriads,  and 
were  for  sale  by  the  bushel  at  the  corners  of  every  street  in 
the  city.  Although  all  the  birds  which  could  be  killed  by 
man  made  the  smallest  impression  on  the  vast  multitude  con- 
tained in  one  of  these  flocks,  —  computed  by  Wilson  to  con- 
sist of  more  than  twenty-two  hundred  millions,  —  yet  to 
Booth  the  destruction  seemed  wasteful,  wanton,  and  from  his 
point  of  view  was  a  wilful  and  barbarous  murder. 

"  Such  a  sentiment  was  perhaps  an  exaggeration ;  still  T 
could  not  but  feel  a  certain  sympathy  with  its  humanity.  .It 
was  an  error  in  a  good  direction.    If  an  insanity,  it  was  bet- 


122      PA88AGE8,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

ter  than  the  cold,  hejirtless  sanity  of  most  men.  By  the  time, 
therefore,  that  Booth  was  ready  to  speak,  I  was  prepared  to 
answer. 

" '  You  see,'  said  he,  *  these  innocent  victims  of  man's  bar- 
barity. I  wish  to  testify  in  some  public  way  against  this 
wanton  destruction  of  life.  And  I  wish  you  to  help  me. 
Will  you  ? ' 

"  '  Hardly,'  I  replied.  '  I  expected  something  very  differ- 
ent from  this  when  I  received  your  note.  I  did  not  come  to 
see  you,  expecting  to  be  called  to  assist  at  the  funeral  solem- 
nities of  birds.' 

"  '  Nor  did  I  send  for  you,'  he  answered.  '  I  merely  wrote 
to  ask  about  the  lot  in  the  grave-yard.  But  now  you  are 
here,  why  not  help  me  ?     Do  you  fear  the  laugh  of  man  ? ' 

" '  No,'  I  returned.  '  If  I  agreed  with  you  in  regard  to 
this  subject,  I  might,  perhaps,  have  the  courage  to  act  out  my 
convictions.  But  I  do  not  look  at  it  as  you  do.  There  is  no 
reason,  then,  why  I  should  have  anything  to  do  with  it.  I 
respect  your  convictions,  but  So  not  share  them.' 

" '  That  is  fair,'  he  said.  '  I  cannot  ask  anything  moi'e.  I 
am  obliged  to  you  for  coming  to  see  me.  My  intention  was 
to  purchase  a  place  in  the  burial-ground,  and  have  them  put 
into  a  coffin  and  carried  in  a  hearse.  I  might  do  it  without 
any  one's  knowing  that  it  was  not  a  human  body.  Would 
you  assist  me,  then  ?  ' 

" '  But  if  no  one  knew  it,'  I  said, '  how  would  it  be  a  public 
testimony  against  the  destruction  of  life  ? ' 

" '  True,  it  would  not.  Well,  I  will  consider  what  to  do. 
Perhaps  I  may  wish  to  bury  them  privately  in  some  garden.' 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     123 

" '  In  that  case,'  said  I,  *  I  will  find  you  a  place  in  the 
grounds  of  some  of  my  friends.' 

"  He  thanked  me,  and  I  took  my  leave,  —  exceedingly 
astonished  and  amused  by  the  incident,  but  also  interested  in 
the  earnestness  of  conviction  of  the  man. 

"  I  heard,  in  a  day  or  two,  that  he  had  actually  purchased 
a  lot  in  the  cemetery,  two  or  three  miles  below  the  city ;  that 
he  had  had  a  coffin  made,  hired  a  hearse  and  carriage,  and 
had  gone  through  all  the  solemnity  of  a  regular  funeral. 
For  several  days  he  continued  to  visit  the  grave  of  his  little 
friends,  and  mourned  over  them  with  a  grief  which  did  not 
seem  at  all  theatriceJ. 

"  Meantime  he  acted  every  night  at  the  theatre,  and  my 
friends  told  me  that  his  acting  was  of  unsurpassed  excellence. 
A  vein  of  insanity  began,  however,  to  mingle  in  his  conduct. 
His  fellow-actors  were  afraid  of  him.  He  looked  terribly  in 
earnest  on  the  stage  ;  and  when  he  went  behind  the  scenes, 
'he  spoke  to  no  one,  but  sat  still,  looking  sternly  at  the 
ground.  During  the  day  he  walked  about  town,  giving  ap- 
ples to  the  horses,  and  talked  to  the  drivers,  urging  them  to 
treat  their  animals  with  kindness. 

"  An  incident  happened,  one  day,  which  illustrated  still 
further  his  sympathy  for  the  humbler  races  of  animals.  One 
of  the  sudden  freshets  which  come  to  the  Ohio,  caused  com- 
monly by  heavy  rains  melting  the  snow  in  the  valleys  of  its 
tributary  streams,  had  raised  the  river  to  an  unusual  height. 
The  yellow  torrent  rushed  along  its  channel,  bearing  on  its 
surface  logs,  boards,  and  the  debris  of  fences,  shanties,  and 
lumber-yards.    A  steamboat,  forced  by  the  rapid  current 


124       PASSAG£8,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

against  the  stone  landing,  had  been  stove,  and  lay  a  wreck 
on  the  bottom,  with  the  water  rising  rapidly  around  it  A 
horse  had  been  left,  fastened  on  the  boat,  and  it  looked  as  if  he 
would  be  drowned.  Booth  was  on  the  landing,  and  he  took 
from  his  pocket  twenty  dollars,  and  oflFered  it  to  any  one  who 
would  get  to  the  boat  and  cut  the  halter,  so  that  the  horse 
might  swim  ashore.  Some  one  was  found  to  do  it,  and  the 
horse's  life  was  saved.        y 

"  So  this  golden  thread  of  human  sympathy  with  all 
creatures  whom  God  had  made  ran  through  the  darkening 
moods  of  his  genius.  He  had  well  laid  to  heart  the  fine 
moral  of  his  favorite  poem,  —  that 

*  He  prayeth  well,  who  loveth  well 
Both  man  and  bird  and  beast. 

'  He  prayeth  best,  who  loveth  best 

All  things,  both  great  and  small; 
For  the  dear  God,  who  loveth  us, 
He  made  and  loveth  all.'  * 

"  In  a  week  or  less  the  tendency  to  derangement  in  Booth 
became  more  developed.  One  night,  when  he  was  to  act> 
he  did  not  appear;  nor  could  he  be  found  at  his  lodgings. 
He  did  not  come  home  that  night.  -  Next  morning  he  was 
found  in  the  woods,  several  miles  from  the  city,  wandering 
through  the  snow.  He  was  taken  care  of.  His  derange- 
ment proved  to  be  temporary,  and  his  reason  returned  in  a 
few  days.  He  soon  left  the  city.  But  before  he  went  away 
he  sent  to  me  the  following  note,  which  I  copy  from  the  orig. 
inal  faded  paper,  now  lying  before  me :  — 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.      125 

' Theatre,  Jan.  13, 183-1. 

*  My  deas  Sir,  —  Allow  me  to  return  you  my  grateful  ao- 
knowledgments  for  your  prompt  and  benevolent  attention 
to  my  request  last  Wednesday  nigbt.  Although  I  am  con- 
vinced your  ideas  and  mine  thoroughly  coincide  as  to  the 
real  cause  of  man's  bitter  degradation,  yet  I  fear  human 
means  to  redeem  him  are  now  fruitless.  The  fire  must  burn,- 
and  Prometheus  endure  his  agony.  The  pestilence  of  Asia 
must  come  again,  ere  the  savage  will  be  taught  humanity. 
May  you  escape  !     God  bless  you,  sir ! 

'  J.  B.  Booth.' 

"  Certainly  I  may  call  this  an  *  odd  adventure '  for  a  young 
minister,  less  than  six  months  in  his  profession.  But  it  left  in 
my  mind  a  very  pleasant  impression  of  this  great  tragedian. 
It  may  be  asked  why  he  came  to  me,  the  youngest  and  new- 
est clergyman  in  the  place.  The  reason  "he  gave  me  himself, 
I  was  a  Unitarian,  He  said  he  had  more  sympathy  with  me 
on  that  account,  as  he  was  of  Jewish  descent,  and  a  Mono- 
theist. 


126      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 


XIV. 


'  M^twtn  I  spohe  of  most  bisastroas  t^mw, 
©f  moiring  aaibints  bg  floob  anir  Mis. 


'\Y  father  commenced  an  engagement  in 
New  York,  on  29th  of  August,  1836,  at 
the  National  Theatre,  situated  on  the 
corner  of  Leonard  and  Church  Streets, 
under  the  management  of  Mr.  Flynn. 
The  first  night  he  performed  "  Shylock," 
when  the  receipts  were  sixteen  hundred  dollars, 
and  he  played  eight  nights  to  houses  almost  equally 
crowded.  The  intellect  and  fashion  of  the  city 
nightly  filled  the  theatre.  He  visited  Philadelphia 
and  Baltimore,  sSd  in  October,  sailed  with  his 
family  for  Europe.  A  few  extracts  from  memo- 
randa made  on  this  voyage  may  not  be  uninter- 
esting :  — 

"  We  left  Philadelphia,   Oct.  20th,  1886,  in  ship  '  Sus- 
quehanna,' Captain  Cropper.     Towed  down  by  steam  to 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNI US  BR UTUS  BOOTH.      127 

Capes  Henlopen  and  May,  with  a  vessel  bound  to  Laguira. 
Off  the  Capes,  spoke  ship 'John  Causland,*  from  Batavia; 
about  midnight,  discharged  the  pilot.  Next  day,  a  large  owl 
lighted  on  the  spanker-boom.  In  the  Gulf,  Les  Ames 
damnees  or  Mother  Card's  Chickens,  following  our  wake, 
and  the  gulf-weed  thick  about  our  quarter.  A  man  died  on 
Sunday  morning  in  a  fit  of  delirium  tremens,  and  after  break- 
fast, all  hands  went  on  deck  to  see  the  ceremony  of  burial, 
which  was  brief  in  preparation  and  performance.  Wednes- 
day, caught  a  bird  of  the  swallow  genus,  by  its  bill  and  claws. 
Fed  it  on  soaked  biscuit  and  corn-meal  mush.  Thursday 
becalmed.  Friday,  a  strong  breeze  in  the  fore  part  of  the 
day  sent  us  at  eleven  miles  an  hour ;  toward  night  we  only 
measured  eight.  We  have  now  crossed  the  southernmost 
edge  of  the  Grand  Bank  of  Newfoundland.  We  are  on 
deep  soundings.  Have  left  St.  John's  to  the  west  of  us. 
Bainy  and  cold;  thermometer  45°  Fahrenheit.  Caught  a 
small  red  bird.  We  are  now  ten  days  out ;  have  come  about 
half  way.  Wednesday,  about  10  a.  m.,  saw  a  bark  whose 
sails  and  boats  had  been  removed ;  no  signs  of  a  human  being 
about  her ;  could  read  on  her  stem  '  Louisa  of  Plymouth.' 
Our  captain  would  not  board  her, —  said  she  was  water-logged. 
Saturday,  Guy  Fawkes'  Day.  Wind  stiU  ahead ;  all  looks 
gloomy.  Eating  and  drinking  and  occasionally  reading,  with 
a  game  of  draughts  or  chess  to  while  away  the  monotonous 
hours.  Read  '  Memoirs  of  Crockett,'  by  himself.  Saw  him  in 
Washington  in  1834,  introduced  to  him  by  Gov.  Houston. 
Both  singular  geniuses.  One  is  dead,  the  other  now  the 
President  of  Alano,  Texas.     Crockett  was  in  Congress,  in 


128       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

1834 ;  not  being  re-elected,  he  adventured  among  the  recruits 
for  Texas,  and  fell  at  the  assault  of  Alano,  by  the  hands  of 
Mexicans  under  Santa  Anna.  This  ship  keeps  her  steerage 
passengers  forward,  and  the  crew  have  a  room  in  front  of  the 
mainmast,  the  length  of  which  room  to  the  stern  being  as- 
signed for  the  twenty-dollar  travellers.  This  plan  keeps  the 
steerage  passengers  from  coming  into  altercation  with  the 
others  by  intervention  of  the  crew.  Just  twenty-one  days 
from  Walnut-street  wharf,  Philadelphia.  Land  visible  on  our 
larboard  side.  Saw  two  vessels  on  horizon  at  6  p.  M. ;  were 
abreast  of  Waterford  Lighthouse,  bearing  N.  N.  E. ;  fifteen 
miles  off,  passed  Salters'  and  Tuskan  revolving  light.  About 
ten,  a  heavy  gale  sprung  up,  accompanied  by  frequent  light- 
ning and  rain.  This  was  the  only  time,  as  yet,  that  there  has 
been  any  appearance  of  danger,  several  seas  shipping  and 
"washing  right  up  to  the  wheel  from  the  bows.  Friday,  saw 
an  English  ship  to  windward  of  us,  and  the  coast  Anglesea 
about  noon.  Weather  foggy  and  wind  ahead.  At  2  p.  M. 
fog  disappeared  and  disclosed  to  our  astonished  eyes  the  Isle 
of  Man,  four  miles  ahead !  We  had  overshot  our  port  seventy 
or  eighty  miles ;  had  to  bout  ship  and  return.  Pilot  came  on 
board  Saturday  at  daybreak.  Read  in  paper  of  Forrest's 
success  and  rejoiced  at  it.  Snow  perceptible  on  hill-tops, 
towards  Snowden.    Landed  in  Liverpool  about  noon." 

My  father  was  engaged  by  Mr.  Bunn  to  per- 
form three  nights  at  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  at  <£25 
per  night.  He  opened  in  "  Richard,"  played 
"  lago,"  on  the   second  night,  and  on  the  third, 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     129 

repeated  "  Richard  the  Third."  He  afterward 
played  a  brief  engagement  at  the  Surrey  Theatre, 
going  thence  to  Sadlers'  W«lls ;  and  while  per- 
forming in  Birmingham,  he  received  news  of  the 
death  of  his  son,  Henry  Byron  Booth,  whom  he 
had  left  with  his  family  in  London.  The  follow- 
ing letter  was  written  about  this  time  :  — 

Pentonville,  Jan.  28, 1837. 
Dear  Father,  —  We  have  at  last  cause,  and  severe  it 
is,  to  regret  coming  to  England.  I  have  delayed  writing  till 
time  had  somewhat  softened  the  horror  of  the  event.  Our 
dear  little  Henry  is  dead !  He  caught  the  small  pox,  and  it 
proved  fatal ;  he  has  been  buried  about  three  weeks,  in  the 
Chapel  ground,  close  by.  Think  what  his  loss  has  been  to 
us,  —  so  proud  as  I  was  of  him  above  all  others.  The  infer- 
nal disease  has  placed  Hagar  in  the  hospital.  The  children 
were  inoculated  and  are  getting  well.  I  shall  play  a  few 
nights  more  in  London,  and  at  Edinburgh  before  I  return. 
Forrest  wont  play  any  more,  —  at  least  he  says  so  now. 
Hamblin  is  here  ;  so  are  Barrett  of  Boston,  Ternan  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  Rice ;  the  only  one,  it  appears,  who  has  really 
bettered  his  fortunes  in  London  is  Tie.  Jim  Croio,  one  would 
have  thought,  the  Cockneys  could  not  understand,  but  con- 
trary to  all  calculation  it  is  the  mania  amongst  them.  Hoping 
you  are  in  health,  and  may  long  continue  so,  is  the  prayer  of 
your  affectionate  son, 

•^  J.  B.  Booth. 

9 


130       PASSAGES,  mCIDEN^TS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

After  tJiis  melancholy  loss,  he  started  with  his 
fiimily  for  America  on  the  ship  "  Ontario." 
On  his  arrival  in  ^ew  York,  he  acted  at  the 
Bowery  Theatre  on  the  night  of  the  4th  of 
July,  receiving  two  hundred  dollars  for  tlie  per- 
formance, which  closed  the  season.  In  the  fall  of 
the  year  1837,  he  fulfilled  an  engagement  at  the 
Olympic  in  New  York,  and  on  the  third  night  he 
appeared  as  "Richard  the  Third,"  W.  R.  Blake 
enacting  *'  Richmond,"  Mrs.  Blake,  "  Queen  Eliz- 
abeth," and  Master  Louis  Blake,  the  "  Duke  of 
York."  The  tlieatre  was  brilliantly  illuminated  in 
commemoration  of  the  evacuation  of  New  York 
by  the  British. 

My  father  was  engaged  to  perform  in  New  York 
at  the  Bowery  on  the  18th  of  February,  and,  arriv- 
ing in  the  city,  was  astonished  to  find  the  building 
in  ruins,  having  been  destroyed  by  fire  the  Monday 
previous.  A  benefit  was  given  at  tlie  Park  for 
the  aid  of  the  sufferers  by  the  conflagration,  and  he 
volunteered  to  act  on  the  occasion.  At  the  rise 
of  the  curtain,  he  was  missing,  and  Mr.  Flynn 
finally  discovered  liim  at  a  fire  in  William  Street, 
laboring  at  an  engine,  in  the  endeavor,  as  he 
said,  "  to  save  people's  property  fi:om  destruction." 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.      131 

He  subsequently  visited  the  South  on  a  profes- 
sional tour,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Thomas  Flynn. 
They  embarked  in  the  steamer  Neptune.  My 
father  was  observed  to  be  very  melancholy  on  the 
voyage  and  talked  frequently  of  Conway,  who,  in 
a  fit  of  depression,  had  committed  suicide  by  jump- 
ing into  the  sea.  When  the  vessel  neared  the 
place  where  the  unfortunate  actor  perished,  he 
came  hurriedly  on  deck,  saying  he  had  a  mes- 
sage for  Conway,  and  leaped  into  the  sea.  A 
boat  was  immediately  lowered,  and  with  difficulty 
he  was  rescued  from  a  watery  grave.  After  he 
was  safe  in  the  boat,  his  first  words,  according 
to  Mr.  Flynn's  report,  were,  "  I  say,  Tom,  look 
out,  you're  a  heavy  man,  be  steady,  —  if  the  boat 
upsets,  we'll  all  be  drowned." 

It  was  during  this  Charleston  trip  that  my 
father's  nose  was  broken,  spoiling  the  beauty  of  his 
countenance,  and  giving  to  his  harmonious  voice  a 
nasal  tone.  The  rumors  of  this  melancholy  acci- 
dent are  so  numerous  and  contradictory,  that  we 
never  could  form  a  definite  conclusion  in  regard  to 
the  occurrence. 

Junius  Booth,  junior,  having  completed  his 
education  ^t  ^i,  Mary's  College,  Baltimore,  com- 


132      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

menced  the  study  of  surgery  at  his  father's  re- 
quest ;  but,  after  pursuing  it  for  a  while,  he  aban- 
doned it,  and  adopted  the  stage  as  his  profession. 
He  made  his  first  appearance  in  the  fall  of  1839, 
as  "Tressel"  to  his  father's  "Richard,"  at  the 
Pittsburgh  Theatre,  under  the  management  of  Mr. 
Wemyss. 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     133 


XV. 


"  8C^  to  Klieb  t\t  fDrtlt^tb  faas  ^is  pribt, 
§inJ>  tfam  l^is  failings  leawir  to  birtat's  sibt." 


jURING  the  last  ten  years  of  his  Hfe,  my 
father  passed  a  considerable  portion  of  his 
time  in  the  midst  of  his  family,  occasionally 
making  professional  excursions,  with  a  care- 
less disregard  of  fame,  which  may  be  ac- 
counted for  by  the  depressing  consciousness 
of  the  accident  which  had  marred  his  face  and 
voice.  It  was,  however,  a  marked  peculiarity  of 
his  entire  career  that  he  would  consent  to  perform 
at  any  theatre,  regardless  of  its  pretensions,  and 
was  equally  unconcerned  about  the  costliness  or 
grandeur  of  his  wardrobe,  so  long  as  it  was  correct 
in  point  of  fashion  and  date.  He  played  annually 
in  Boston  and  New  Orleans,  in  which  places  he 
was  an  established  favorite,  and,  having  removed 
his  residence  to  Baltimore,  made  periodical  visits 


134     PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

to  the  farm,  during  the  oppressive  heat  of  sum- 
mer. 

He  indulged  his  philanthropic  desires  unrestrain- 
edly, and  the  particulars  of  some  charitable  visit 
or  donation  would  frequently  be  disclosed  to  the 
family  by  the  recipient. 

My  earliest  recollection  of  my  father  is  seeing 
him  upon  his  knees,  before  a  rough  sailor,  who  had 
asked  alms  at  the  door.  The  poor  fellow  had  a 
bad  wound  on  his  leg,  which  was  suffering  from 
neglect,  and  my  father  brought  him  into  the  house 
and  washed  and  bandaged  the  wound  for  him 
with  the  tenderest  care. 

These  little  deeds  of  kindness  were  almost  daily 
occurrences.  He  thus  sought  to  impress  upon  our 
minds  these  lessons  of  humanity  to  man  and  beast, 
more  by  his  own  acts  than  by  precept.  He  de- 
lighted to  seek  out  the  destitute  and  unfortunate, 
and  aid  by  his  sympathy  as  well  as  his  bounty. 

It  was  on  one  of  these  errands  of  mercy  that 
the  horse  thief,  Fontaine,  alias  Lovett,  was  pointed 
out  to  him.  Lovett  was  then  confined  in  the  Lou- 
isville jail,  and  it  was  remarked  that  he  had 
no  means  of  obtaining  counsel,  and  my  father, 
although  being  assured  that  his  case  was  hopeless, 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     135 

sent  him  a  lawyer  and  defrayed  the  expenses ;  for 
which  kindness,  when  Lovett  heard  of  it,  he  be- 
queathed him  his  head,  desiring  "that  it  should 
be  given,  after  his  execution,  to  the  actor  Booth, 
with  the  request  that  he  would  use  it  on  the  stage 
in  Hamlet,  and  think  when  he  held  it  in  his  hands 
of  the  gratitude  his  kindness  had  awakened." 

The  skull  was  accordingly  sent  to  my  father's 
residence  while  he  was  absent  from  the  city  ;  and 
my  mother,  finding  what  a  horrible  thing  had 
been  left  in  her  house,  immediately  returned  it  to 
the  doctor  to  whom  it  had  been  entrusted  for  prep- 
aration and  delivery.  In  1857,  the  doctor,  who 
had  retained  the  skull,  sent "  it  to  Edwin  Booth, 
who  used  it  in  the  grave-yard  scene  in  "  Hamlet  " 
on  several  occasions,  and  afterward  had  it  buried. 

In  the  year  1850,  my  father  played  several 
engagements  at  the  National  Theatre,  Chatham 
Square,  New  York.  At  this  time  the  Broadway 
Theatre,  now  demolished,  was  the  only  establish- 
ment on  Broadway  strictly  devoted  to  the'^drama. 
A  misunderstanding  having  occurred  between  Mr. 
Marshall,  the  lessee,  and  Mr.  Booth,  hewas  pre- 
vailed upon  by  Mr.  Purdy,  of  the  National,  to 
accept  an   engagement  with   him.      He  was  sup- 


136       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

ported  by  John  R.  Scott,  H.  A.  Perry  and 
a  superior  company.  The  house  was  nightly 
crowded  with  his  admirers.  Subsequently,  he 
made  his  last  appearance  in  New  York  at  this 
theatre. 

Edwin  Booth  was  born  at  the  Farm,  on  the 
memorable  night  in  November,  1833,  when  the 
heavens  were  all  alight  with  the  grand  meteoric 
shower.  He  was  educated  in  Baltimore,  and 
made  his  first  appearance  in  1849,  in  the  sixteenth 
year  of  his  age,  at  the  Boston  Theatre,  in  the 
character  of  "  Tressel,"  to  his  father's  "  Richard." 
He  afterward  essayed  "  Edgar,"  his  father  per- 
sonating "  Lear." 

The  following  remarks  on  "  Lear,"  are  from 
the  pen  of  a  Boston  critic  of  known  ability:  — 

"  The  elder  Kean  was  Hazlitt's  darling,  and  the  fame 
of  the  actor  is  intimately  blended  with,  if  not  dependent 
on,  the  pages  of  that  acute  essayist.  Booth  was  Kean's 
rival,  and  this  may  in  some  measure  account  for  the  spirit  of 
bitterness,  which  occurs  repeatedly.  By  comparing  Booth, 
whom  I  know  so  well,  with  the  record  of  an  actor  I  never 
had  the  pleasure  of  seeing,  I  believe  him  to  be  Kean's 
superior,  and  strange  as  it  may  appear,  I  extract  testimony 
from  Hazlitt's  book,  almost  sufficient  to  prove  that  Hazlitt 
thought  so  too.      Read  the    passages    characterizing    the 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     137 

tragedy  of  '  Lear ; '  think  how  exacting  was  the  ideal  of  the 
critic,  and  remember  that  Booth's  performance  of  '  Lear ' 
gave  him  '  great  pleasure,'  and  Kean's  '  considerably  disap- 
pointed him.'  Thus  the  case  seems  clearly  made  out ;  at  any 
rate,  it  sets  the  absurd  question  of  imitation  entirely  at  rest, 
as  Booth's  performance  of  that  sublimest  character  of  Shak- 
speare  came  Jirst  in  point  of  time,  and  this,  too,  when  he  was 
very  young  (say  twenty-three),  while  Kean  was  in  the 
maturity  of  his  powers.  '  Out  of  this  nettle,'  detraction, 
'  I  pluck  this  flower '  of  the  critics'  good  opinion." 

The  beautiful  verses  here  introduced  evince  an 
honest  appreciation  of  my  father,  and  are  by  W. 
O.  Eaton,  Esq.,  of  Boston :  — 

"TO  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTR 

"  Shall  we  who  see  such  fire  believe  thee  old  ? 

Yes,  old,  but  yet  not  stale ;  for  like  to  wine 
Thy  spirit,  while  those  sinews  vigor  hold. 

Years  cannot  ravish  of  its  power  divine. 
The  glow  of  genius  Time  cannot  eclipse. 

Till  death  restores  it  to  the  land  of  light !  — 
Long  be  his  pale  seal  absent  from  thy  lips. 

And  reason  guide  that  wayward  mind  aright ! 

"  Health  to  thee,  Junius  !  for  a  heart  thou  hast 
That  spurns  the  cold  cares  of  a  cunning  world, 
And  linked  with  many  a  legend  of  the  past. 
Thy  sterling  nature  often  has  unfurled. 


138     PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

Meekness,  companion  of  the  truly  great, 

Strong  common  sense,  that  always  speaks  a  man. 

Unchanging  courtesy  to  low  estate,  -r- 
These  exalt  thee  as  high  aa  genias  can. 

"  Moths  rise  and  flutter  round  thy  solar  hlaze. 

And  glitter  till  its  full  power's  displayed ; 
Then,  blinded  by  the  sun  on  which  they  gaze, 

With  withered  wings,  they  sink  again  to  shade. 
The  spurious  fame  by  partial  gazetteers, 

On  those  they  love,  conferred  with  lavish  hand. 
Has  never  brayed  its  discord  in  thy  ears 

To  fill  thy  pocket,  or  deceive  the  land. 

"  What's  thine  is  thine,  by  honest  means  alone ; 

Blame,  praise,  have  never  made  thee  more  nor  less ; 
An  eagle  is  an  eagle  on  his  throne. 

Or  at  the  archer's  feet  in  last  distress. 
And  whose  the  mind,  howe'er  sublime  or  crude. 

But  feels  the  truth  to  nature  of  thy  soul, 
In  all  that's  fiery,  subtle,  calm,  or  rude, 

From  the  great  labor's  opening  to  the  goal  ? 

"  Republican  by  nature  if  not  birth, 

Remembrancer  of  days  of  rapture  gone, 
Genius  that  hast  no  country  save  all  earth, 

Surviving  peer  of  great  ones  that  we  moom,  — 
Far  happier  thou  by  glory  crowned  to  live. 

Than  sleep  where  laurels  fade,  nigh  Lethe's  wave ; 
May  age  still  give  thee  all  that  life  can  give. 

And  love  attend  thee  J;o  a  painless  grave." 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JDNIW  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     139 


XVI. 


«  §ltbtrs  from  KrabbKng  spring* 
^abe  tm  at  first." 


N  the  summer  of  1850,  while  Edwin  and 
Ml'.  J.  S.  Clarke  were  ruralizing  at  the 
Farm,  they  were  solicited  by  a  number  of 
the  residents  and  collegians  of  Bel  Air  to 
favor  them  with  a  dramatic  reading,  — 
which  style  of  entertainment  was  greatly  in 
vogue  in  private  circles.  They  willingly  complied 
with  the  request,  having  previously  recited  together 
the  quarrel  of  "  Brutus  "  and  "  Cassius,"  and  other 
pieces  at  school,  before  the  not  very  critical  audi- 
ence of  "  parents  and  friends,"  among  whom,  con- 
spicuously and  with  pleased  countenance,  sat  "  the 
elder  Booth."  As  the  solicitation  was  general  and 
admitted  of  no  delay,  they  mounted  their  horses 
and  rode  twenty-five  miles  on  a  sultry  summer  day 
to  obtain  printed  programmes  in  Baltimore.     They 


140      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

were  greatly  surprised  to  find  that  my  father,  iiir 
stead  of  offering  any  objection  to  their  reading^ 
entered  into  all  their  plans  with  boyish  elation,  and 
became  as  enthusiastic  about  it  as  themselves.  He 
insisted  upon  retaining  a  number  of  the  pro- 
grammes to  enclose  to  friends  in  distant  cities,  and 
strongly  urged,  if  the  reading  proved  successful, 
they  should  "  try  the  large  towns,"  especially 
recommending  Havre  de  Grace.  Buoyant  with 
expectation,  the  two  friends  rode  back  the  next  day, 
and  immediately  commenced  arranging  a  large 
room  in  the  county  court-house,  which  had  been 
offered  for  their  convenience.  The  doors  and 
windows  were  instantly  besieged  by  an  eager 
throng  of  rustics,  who  were  anxious  to  witness  the 
preparations  for  the  great  show,  evidently  expect- 
ing that  a  circus  or  some  wonderful  magician  was 
to  exhibit,  as  nothing  more  elevated  than  such  per- 
formances had  ever  been  given  in  Bel  Air,  so 
publicly,  and  on  so  grand  a  scale. 

The  "tragedians"  had  prepared  themselves 
with  necessary  "  properties,"  obtaining  from  the 
Farm  a  sheet  for  the  curtain,  and  a  dinner-bell  to 
ring  up.  While  endeavoring  to  hang  their  cur- 
tain, one  of  them  fell  from  a  barrel,  on  which  he 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     141 

was  standing.  This  seemed  to  create  a  feeling  of 
disgust  among  the  countrymen,  as  one  remarked, 
"  You're  a  pretty  circus-actor  ;  can't  balance  your- 
self on  that."  Nothing  daunted,  however,  they 
proceeded  with  their  work,  and  finally  the  curtain 
was  adjusted,  footlights  set,  and  seats  arranged. 
Old  Joe  (who  had  occasionally  been  employed  as 
a  sort  of  crier  about  the  court-house)  was  sent 
forth  to  post  the  bills.  He  walked  miles,  carrying 
his  bucket  and  brush,  and  ringing  a  bell  at  in- 
tervals, while  he  cried  out  in  his  peculiar  tone, 
*'  Oyes,  Oyes,  Oyes,  —  to-night  great  tragedy  ! " 
Quite  an  excitement  was  caused  by  this  pro- 
ceeding and  the  old  man  was  closely  followed 
by  the  curious  of  either  se^^  and  color.  He  faith- 
fully performed  his  duty,  placing  the  bills  on  every 
available  corner ;  and  far  out  on  the  country  roads, 
the  placards  decorated  the  fences,  trees,  and  out- 
houses. As  the  "  tragedians "  rode  in  from  the 
farm  on  that  eventful  evening,  to  their  intense 
chagrin  they  discovered  that  every  bill  had  been 
posted  upside  down.  "The  house  was.  full  and 
fashionable  ;  "  the  audience  strictly  observing  the 
primitive  regulations  of  their  meeting-house, — sep- 
arating at  the   portal,  and   seating  themselves  in 


142      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

perfect  silence,  —  the  gentlemen  on  one  side  of  the 
room,  and  the  ladies  on  the  other.  The  order 
observed  was  not  materially  different  from  that 
of  their  sacred  edifices,  as  the  performance  was 
allowed  to  proceed  to  the  conclusion  without  the 
slightest  interruption. 

THE   PROGRAMME. 

GRAND    DRAMATIC    FESTIVAL. 

AT  THE  COURT-HOUSE  IN  BEL  AIR, 

SATURDAY,  AUGUST  1. 

In  compliance  with  the  request  of  several  gentlemen, 

MR.     EDWIN      BOOTH 

respectfully  informs  the  inhabitants  of  Bel  Air  and  vicinity,  that  he 

will  give  one  entertainment  as  above,  in  conjunction  with 

MR.    J.    S.    CLARKE. 

The   performance    will   consist    of 

SHAESFERIAN     READINaS,    ETO. 

PART  FIRST. 
Selections  from  RICHARD  III. 

Bichard  UL, Mr.  E.  Booth. 

Selections  from  MERCHANT  OF  VENICE. 

Shylock, Mr.  J.  S.  Clarke. 

The  celebrated  Dagger  Scene  from  MACBETH. 

Macbeth, Mr.  E.  Booth. 

Selections  from  Kotzebue's  STRANGER. 

The  Stranger, Mr.  J.  S.  Clarke. 

Hamlet's  Soliloquy  on  Death, .        .        .        Mr.  E.  Booth. 
Selections  from  Otway's  tragedy  of  VENICE  PRESERVED. 

Jaffier, Mr.  J.  S.  Clarke. 

Selections  from  RICHELIEU. 

Cardinal  Richelieu, Mr.  E.  Booth. 

The  great  Quarrel  Scene  from  JULIUS  C^SAR. 

Brutus, Mr.  E.  Booth. 

Cassias, ' .       .  Mr.  J.  S.  Clarke. 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.      143 

PART  SECOND. 

YANKEE    STORIES,    ETC. 

Mr.  Clarke's  peculiar  illustration  of 
"a  toung  man's  first  appearance  as  an  actor." 
Cards  of  admission,  25  cents;  children  under  twelve,  12 J  cents. 
Doors  will  open  at  7  o'clock.    Performance  will  commence  at  8. 

The  profits  of  the  entertainment  amounted  to 
thirty  dollars.  Edwin,  shortly  after  this,  accompa- 
nied father  on  his  professional  travels,  and  showing 
a  predilection  for  the  stage,  he  acted  occasionally 
*'Hemeya"in  "The  Apostate,"  "  Wilford "  in 
"The  Iron  Chest,"  "  Titus  "  in  "  Brutus,"  and 
"  Cassio "  in  "  Othello."  In  nearly  every  city 
they  visited,  he  heard  of  the  Bel  Air  performance, 
owing  to  the  bills  which  father  had  forwarded  to 
friends ;  and  the  incidents  of  that  occasion  have 
since  been  the  cause  of  many  a  hearty  laugh,  while, 
in  the  annals  of  the  little  countiy  town,  the  visit  of 
"  The  Players  "  serves  as  a  chronological  event. 

While  fulfilling  an  engagement  at  the  National 
Theatre,  New  York,  my  father,  being  too  unwell 
to  perform  one  evening,  proposed  to  the  manager 
to  substitute  Edwin  for  the  character.  An  apology 
was  accordingly  made,  and  Edwin  enacted  "  Rich- 
ard III."  most  creditably,  although  a  mere  boy. 
John  R.  Scott,  the , "  Richmond  "  of  the  evening 


144      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

who  led  him  before  the  curtain,  and  addressed  the 
audience  in  his  behalf,  pronounced  him 

"  A  worthy  scion  of  a  noble  stock." 

In  1850,  my  father  performed  "  Brutus "  in 
Washington,  and  Edwin  "  Titus."  The  author, 
John  Howard  Payne,  witnessed  this  performance. 
Shortly  afterward,  this  play  was  repeated  by  father 
and  son  in  Richmond.  In  the  solemn  interview 
between  "  Brutus  "  and  "  Titus,"  where  the  Roman 
Consul  is  condemning  his  recreant  son  to  an  igno- 
minious death,  my  father's  countenance  portrayed 
an  agony  of  suffering,  and  tears  streamed  from  his 
eyes  as  he  gathered  the  head  of  his  offending  boy 
to  his  bosom.  The  audience  was  breathless  with 
intensity ;  but  the  silence  was  suddenly  inter- 
rupted by  an  exclamation  from  a  drunken  man  in 
the  gallery.  My  father  still  enwrapt  in  the  char- 
acter he  was  portraying  with  such  truthful  earn- 
estness, raised  his  eyes,  and  fixing  them  upon  the 
man  with  a  steady  gaze,  exclaimed  sternly,  "Be- 
ware, I  am  the  headsman,  —  I  am  the  execu- 
tioner." The  singular  effect  thus  produced  was 
shown  in  the  continued  silence  of  the  audience, 
which  at  last   burst  forth  in  rapturous   applause. 


m  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.      145 

This  complete  identification  with  the  character 
assumed,  was  one  of  the  great  beauties  of  his 
acting.  How  clear  and  vigorous  the  mind  must 
be  to  imbue  itself  with  all  those  varied  tints  of 
character  and  become  absorbed  in  the  individual- 
ity of  another.  Yet  how  frequently  do  persons  of 
supposed  judgment  assert,  that  few  actors  can  per- 
form creditably,  unless  under  the  influence  of 
some  powerful  stimulus.  A  moment's  considerate 
reflection  would  prove  this  opinion  to  be  as  errone- 
ous as  it  is  unjust. 


146     PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 


XVII. 


"®%Ilo'8  occupation's  Bone." 


N  1851,  father  performed  a  great  variety 
of  characters  at  the  old  Chestnut  Street 
Theatre,  Pliiladelphia.  "  King  John  "  was 
produced.  Mr.  Booth  played  the."  King,'» 
J.  E.  Murdock  appeared  as  "  Falcon- 
bridge  ;  "  "  Pierre  "  in  "  Venice  Pre- 
served," Mr.  Murdock  as  "  Jaflfier  ;  "  "  Cassius  " 
m  "  Julius  Caesar,"  Mr.  Murdock  as  "Anthony  ;  " 
"  Pescara  "  in  the  "  Apostate,"  Miss  Jean  Daven- 
port as  "  Florinda." 

In  the  course  of  this  engagement,  the  "  Mer- 
chant of  Venice  "  was  announced,  with  my  father 
as  "  Shylock."  He  arrived  at  the  theatre  unusual- 
ly early,  and  immediately  prepared  for  the  part. 
At  the  close  of  the  overture  the  curtain  rose,  but 
"  Shylock,"  who  had  been  previously  observed  by 
persons  about  the  scenes,  was  nowhere  to  be  found. 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.    147 

Mr.  Fredericks,  the  stage-manager,  was  in  great 
perplexity,  and  everything  became  confusion  and 
anxiety.  It  was  determined  that  the  play  should 
commence  and  continue  uninterruptedly  to  the  time 
of  "  Shylock's  "  entrance  (which  does  not  occur 
until  nearly  the  close  of  the  first  act),  meanwhile 
every  effort  should  be  employed  to  discover  the 
"  Wandering  Jew,"  and,  if  unavailable,  in  due 
time  the  stage-manager's  favorite  "  walking  gen- 
tleman "  and  general  apologist  should  address  the 
audience  and  expose  "  Mr.  Booth's  unprincipled 
conduct." 

The  much  dreaded  time  arrived,  and  Shylock 
had  not  appeared.  Messengers  had  been  de- 
spatched to  various  localities,  and  the  theatre  had 
undergone  a  thorough  search.  Mr.  Fredericks 
was  in  a  most  unenviable  state  of  excitement,  and 
the  -prim  apologist  was  ready  with  his  speech, 
when,  at  the  exact  point  of  time  the  door  of  a 
dark  scene-closet  was  quietly  opened  from  the 
interior,  and  Shylock  mysteriously  emerged  there- 
from,   gently   pushed    Mr.  Fredericks    aside,  and 

walked   slowly   and   in    deep   reflection  upon  the 

Ik 
stage. 

The  stage-manager,  stricken  with  amazement, 


148      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

vanished  into  the  green-room,  where  he  related  the 
astonishing  behavior  of  Booth,  vowing  that  *'he  was 
always  an  enigma,  —  that  he  never  could  under- 
stand him."  As  father  had  not  recently  ap- 
peared in  the  character  of  "  Shylock,"  he  was  con- 
sequently more  than  ordinarily  nervous  on  this  oc- 
casion, and  had  dressed  early  and  retired  to  the 
most  secluded  spot  he  could  find,  in  order  to  "  go 
over"  his  part  without  interruption.  He  was 
quite  innocent  of  having  created  any  uneasiness  or 
confusion,  and  consequently  walked  out  of  his 
darkness  completely  engrossed  with  his  character. 

In  the  spring  of  1852,  Junius  Booth,  who  had 
been  for  several  years  a  resident  of  California, 
came  home  on  a  visit  to  the  family,  and  with  the 
intention  of  taking  his  father  back  with  him,  as  he 
had  been  earnestly  solicited  by  the  Californians 
to  induce  him  to  visit  them.  He  consented  to  ac- 
company Junius,  more  for  the  novelty  of  the  trip, 
than  the  desire  of  performing  there.  Accordingly, 
they  sailed  in  the  month  of  June,  taking  Edwin 
with  them.  After  a  passage  from  New  York,  they 
reached  San  Francisco  in  thirty-seven  days,  los- 
ing, by  detention  in   Panama,  eight   days.     Mr. 


JN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.      149 

Booth  opened  at  the  "  Jenny  Lind  "  Theatre,  and 
attracted  crowded  audiences  for  four  weeks,  when 
the  engagement  was  imperatively  terminated,  the 
site  of  the  theatre  having  been  previously  pur- 
chased for  the  erection  of  a  City  Hall.  He  then 
went  up  the  river  to  fulfil  an  engagement  at 
Sacramento,  where  the  patronage  of  the  public  was 
comparatively  small,  and  his  reception,  though  cor- 
dial, was  not  so  rapturous  and  enthusiastic  as  that 
which  greeted  him  in  San  Francisco.  In  Septem- 
ber, he  again  performed  in  San  Francisco,  and  at- 
tracted overflowing  houses  at  the  Adelphi  Theatre? 
In  these  California  engagements,  Edwin  acted  in 
nearly  all  of  his  father's  pieces,  appearing  as 
"  Richmond,"  "  Laertes,"  "  Hemeya,"  "Jaffier," 
etc.  My  father  determined,  suddenly,  to  return 
to  the  "  States  "  insisting  upon  Edwin  remaining 
in  California  to  pursue  his  profession,  and  would 
not  allow  him  to  relinquish  his  engagement  to 
accompany  him  home. 

He  had,  of  late  years,  frequently  expressed  his 
intention  of  retiring  from  the  stage,  and  as  an  inti- 
mation that  he  had  concluded  to  do  so,  he  gave  his 
"  Richard's  "  crown  to  Junius,  saying,  "  he  would 
no  longer  need  it."  ,  This  "  regal  ornament  "  had 


150       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

been  the  special  object  of  his  care  for  many  years, 
and  this  resignation  was  sadly  and  painfully  sug- 
gestive. 

With  much  reluctance  they  saw  him  depart, 
although  he  was  in  excellent  health. 

He  had  taken  passage  on  the  "  Brother  Jona- 
than," and  on  the  morning  of  sailing,  while  anx- 
iously superintending  the  transportation  of  his 
baggage  to  the  boat,  he  was  somewhat  annoyed  at 
the  dilatory  manner  of  a  rougli,  surly  seaman  who 
was  executing  the  work.  My  father  kindly  urged 
tlie  man  to  show  more  alacrity ;  but  observing  that 
he  obstinately  moved  slower,  and  was  disposed  to 
be  insolent,  he  inquired  sharply,  "  What  are  you 
employed  for  ?  who  are  you  ?  " 

The  seaman,  with  a  vicious  look,  gruflBiy  replied, 
"  I  am  a  thief. ^^ 

My  father,  with  a  quick  intuition  of  character, 
immediately  exclaimed,  reaching  out  his  hand,  — 
*'  Give  me  your  hand,  comrade,  I  am  a  pirate  1 " 

The  sailor  looked  abashed,  yet,  evidently  recog- 
nizing the  spirit  of  kindliness  which  prompted  such 
a  response,  gave  his  hand  in  silence. 

On  his  arrival  in  New  Orleans,  in  November, 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     151 


feeling  so  well  and  vigorous,  he  accepted  an  engage- 
ment at  the  St.  Charles  Theatre.  He  performed 
six  nights,  and  was  greeted  with  thronged  and 
enthusiastic  audiences,  but  could  not  be  prevailed 
upon  to  extend  his  engagement,  as  he  was  desirous 
of  reaching  home.  His  last  appearance  was  as 
"Sir  Edward  Mortimer"  in  the  "Iron  Chest" 
and  "  John  Lump." 

THE    LAST    PLAY-BILL. 


ST.    CHARLES    THEATRE. 

BENEFIT    OF 

MR.    BOOTH, 

And  positively  last  night  of  his  engagement. 

Friday  Evening,  Nov.  19th,  1852. 

MR.    BOOTH    IN    PLAY    AND    FARCE. 


THE    IRON 

Sir  Edward  Mortimer, 

Wilford,       . 

Fitzharding,     . 

Adam  Winterton, 

Sampson  Rawbold, 

Orson, 

Rawbold, 

Servant, 

Gregory, 

Peter, 

Helen,     . 

Blanch, 

Barbara, 


CHEST. 

Mr.  Booth. 

.  Mr.  Nagle. 

.  Mr.  Kemble. 

Mr.  Mark  Smith. 

.    Mr.  De  Bar. 

.    Mr.  Lewellen. 

.     Mr.  Potter. 

Mr.  Melville. 

Mr.  Jones. 

Mr.  Howard. 

.     Mrs.  Stone. 

Mrs.  Estelle  Potter. 

.  Mrs.  Howard. 


To  conclude  with  the  Musical  Farce  of  the 


John  Lump, 


REVIE^V; 
Or,  the  Wag  of  Windsor. 


Mr.  Booth. 


152      PASSAGES.  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 


XVIII. 

**  8^e  pB%  of  glorj  Itab  bni  ta  %  jia&t." 

EING  greatly  exhausted  after  the  perform- 
ance, it  is  supposed  he  contracted  a  cold, 
which  rapidly  grew  "vvorse.  He  took  pas- 
sage for  Cincinnati  on  the  J.  S.  Cheno- 
weth,  and  becoming  in  a  few  days  very 
feverish,  he  drank  freely  of  the  Mississippi 
water,  which  greatly  increased  his  disorder.  There 
was  no  physician  on  board,  and  he  would  not 
trouble  the  captain  to  procure  one,  but  with  all 
that  patient  endurance  which  had  ever  charac- 
terized him,  bore  his  sufferings  unmuimuringly 
and  alone.  He  kept  his  state-room  almost  en- 
tirely, to  avoid  remark,  and  by  this  means  incur- 
red still  greater  neglect.  ,  His  disease  turned  to 
consumption  of  the  bowels,  of  which  he  died  on 
Tuesday,  30th  of  November,  at  2  p.  m.  The 
steward  of  the  vessel  reported  his  last  words  to  have 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  J  UNI  US  BR  VTUS  BOOTH.      163 

been,  in  a  scarcely  audible  voice,  —  "  Pray,  pray, 
pray."  On  reaching  Cincinnati,  the  masons  had 
the  body  embalmed  in  a  metallic  coffin  and  deposited 
in  the  Baptist  vault.  My  mother  was  telegraphed 
for  and  arrived  in  Cincinnati  expecting  to  find  my 
father  very  ill, — the  second  despatch,  announcing  his 
decease,  not  reaching  Baltimore  imtil  her  departure 
from  that  city.  She  returned  home  as  soon  as 
possible,  bringing  the  body  with  her  for  interment. 
For  three  days  the  house  where  the  body  lay  was 
thronged  with  people  of  every  class.  The  walls  of 
the  parlors  were  draped  with  white,  covering  pic- 
tures and  mirrors,  and  all  ornaments  removed 
excepting  a  marble  figure  of  Shakspeare,  which  was 
placed  near  the  coffin,  and  seemed  gazing  down  at 
the  form  beneath.  The  face,  under  the  glass  plate, 
was  very  calm  and  beautiful,  and  the  brown  hair 
more  thickly  strewn  with  white  than  when  we  saw 
it  last ;  the  gray  eyes  were  partly  visible  between 
the  half-shut  lids ;  and  the  lips,  retaining  their  life-like 
color,  were  smilingly  closed.  Such  a  placidity  and 
repose  pervaded  the  whole  countenance,  that  we 
felt  how  easy  the  transition  must  have  been  from 
suffering  life  to  this  calm  sleep.  How  often  we 
had  found  him  at  spst  with  just  this  look  upon  his 


154       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

face,  and  liad  stepped  softly  not  to  disturb  Irim  !  Now 
its  perfect  naturalness  occasioned  doubt  in  many 
minds,  and  physicians  were  sent  for  to  satisfy  us 
whether  this  was  really  death  or  a  trance.  The 
hope  was  futile  and  vain,  but  while  it  animated  the 
hearts  that  suffered,  it  had  become  as  powerful  as 
life. 

Rev.  Mr.  Atkinson,  the  eloquent  pastor  of  Christ 
Church,  pronounced  his  beautiful  discourse  over  the 
remains  of  Junius  Brutus  Booth.  The  family  and 
attendants  afterward  proceeded  to  Baltimore  Ceme- 
tery, followed  by  a  long  procession  on  foot,  composed 
of  the  theatrical  members,  private  citizens,  and  a 
large  concourse  of  colored  people.  My  mother  had 
requested  that  no  music  should  be  played  as  the 
funeral  move*,  or  around  the  grave.  So,  with 
respectful  observance  of  her  wish,  Volandt's  full 
band  remoVed  to  a  distant  part  of  the  cemetery. 
As  the  procession  toiled  slowly  up  the  hill,  and 
entered  the  grounds,  the  faint  throbs  of  the  dead 
march  broke  mournfully  upon  the  ear  ;  the  coffin 
was  placed  on  a  bier  and  set  down  at  the  gates  of 
the  mausoleum!  The  music  died  away  in  echoes, 
and  the  minister,  with  his  long  black  robes  fluttering 
in  the  wind,  began  his  solemn  service,  "  I  am  the 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.     155 

Resurrection  and  the  Life."  Hundreds  of  men 
stood  bareheaded  in  the  bleak  evening  air;  the 
ground  was  thickly  crusted  with  snow,  which  now 
began  fluttering  down  again,  and  the  sun  threw 
his  last  gleams  over  all,  as.  he  was  slowly  sink- 
ing behind  the  hills. 

The  inserted  letter  was  addressed  to  my  mother 
by  the  New  Orleans  manager  : — 

New  Orleaxs,  Dec.  6th,  1862. 
Mks.  J.  B.  Booth, 

Dear  Madam, — It  was  with  deep  regret  and  sorrow  that 

we  read  here  a  telegraphic  paragraph,  on  the  morning  of  the 

2d  inst.,  announcing  the  decease  of  your  late  worthy  husband. 

It  was  the  more  startling  because  the  least  expected.     During 

his  engagement  with  us  in  the  "St.  Charles  Theatre  it  was 

generally  remarked  how  well  he  looked  and  how  well  he 

performed.     For  myself,  who  remember  him  since  his  first 

week's  performance  in  the  United  States,  and  have  been  well 

acquainted  with  his  professional   career,  I   was   agreeably 

astonished  at  the  vigor  evinced  by  him,  during  the  six  nights 

he  performed  with  us,  and  the  conclusion  of  his  engagement 

seemed  a  cause  of  regret  to  the  public  generally.     As  a  matter 

of  information  to  you  I  would  state  that  we  paid  him  ten 

hundred  and  eighty-four  dollars  for  his  engagement  of  the  six 

nights.     He  spoke  of  having  been  robbed  on  his  route  through 

Mexico,  but  I  do  not  recollect  of  what  amount.     Trusting, 

madam,  that  you  wHl  find  consolation  in  the  reflection  that 


156       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 

the  dispensations  of  Providence  are  always  for  wise  and 
merciful  purposes,  and  wishing  you  health  and  the  enjoyments 
of  life  for  many  years,  I  am 

Your  obedient  serv't  and  well-wisher, 

N.  M.  Ludlow 

I  need  scarcely  refer  to  the  high  estunation  in 
which  his  genius  was  held  by  many  of  the  most 
eminent  of  our  countrymen  ;  yet,  from  the  numer- 
ous beautifiil  notices,  submit  this  graceful  tribute, 
taken  from  a  long  article  in  a  hterary  weekly 
journal : — 

"  The  late  Rufus  Choate  was  an  enthusiastic  lover  of 
Shakspcare's  works  and  familiar  with  every  line  of  them. 
Of  all  the  players,  he  liked  Junius  Brutus  Booth  the  best. 
In  remarkable  power  of  intense  mental  action  and  concen- 
trated feeling,  the  eminent  actor  and  the  incomparable 
lawyer  resembled  each  other.  Booth  was  the  only  player 
that  realized  his  ideal  of  a  great  tragedian,  and  when  he 
heard  of  his  decease  he  exclaimed  sorrowfully.  There  are 
no  more  actors." 

On  Edwin's  arrival  from  Cahfomia,  he  erected  a 
monument  over  his  father's  grave.  The  sculpture 
was  executed  in  Boston  and  completed  in  the 
spring   of  1858,  and  the  monument  was  placed 


m  THE  LIFE  OFJUNIUS  BRUTUS  BOOTH.    167 

over  the  tomb  on  the  1st  of  May,  his  father's 
birthday.  To  this  place  have  been  removed  the 
remains  of  Richard  Booth  who  died  in  Baltimore, 
in  1840,  aged  seventy -six. 


168       PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES 


XIX. 

^is  looks  abortub  t\t  fatntrable  plaa." 

0  ceased  on  earth  that  gentle  and  unselfish 
heart !  Whatever  errors  •  had  controlled 
his  judgment,  or  obscured  that  penetrative 
sense  which  renders  men  so  "  worldly- 
wise,"  it  was  honorable  to  his  nature, 
rather  than  detrimental  to  his  experience, 
that  through  all  the  changes  of  a  varied  life,  he 
retained  an  almost  childlike  faith  in  the  honesty 
of  human  nature.  Too  credulous,  perhaps,  of  the 
universality  of  this  quality,  he  was  easily  swayed  by 
that  unquestioning  philanthropy  which  formed  the 
basis  of  his  character. 

In  disposition  he  was  mild  and  unobtrusive,  yet 
his  kindness  was  qualified  with  undeviating  firm- 
ness. His  idea  of  home  comprised  a  sacred  circle 
wherein  few  were   admitted   save   the  immediate 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  JUNIUS  BRUTUS  BO 0TB.     159 

family.  In  our  childhood  everything  connected 
with  his  profession  was  carefully  avoided,  as  if  he 
feared,  by  intercourse  or  allusion,  to  throw  that 
glamour  over  its  reality  which  might  delude  the 
senses,  and  engender  romantic  desires  for  excite- 
ment. 

E»r  his  two  younger  sons,  he  had  a  workshop 
erected  in  the  garden,  and  stored  it  with  lumber 
and  necessary  tools ;  thus  blending  pleasure  with 
instruction,  he  strove  to  excite  in  their  minds  a 
love  of  mechanical  pursuits,  quoting  ever,  "io- 
horare  est  orareP  Before  leaving  for  California, 
he  placed  them  under  the  careful  guardianship 
of  those  excellent  teachers,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Van 
Bokkelen  and  Prof.  Onderdonk,  of  St.  Timothy's 
Hall,  Catonsville,  Md.  Prior  to  any  anticipation 
of  this  voyage,  he  was  erecting  a  handsome  cot- 
tage on  the  farm,  where  he  purposed  passing  the 
summer  months  of  every  year. 

The  building  was  a  well-selected  plan  in  the 
Elizabethan  style,  and  interiorly  arranged  to  suit 
his  own  peculiar  fancy.  The  site  selected  is  near 
the  old  cabin  (which  had  for  many  years  been  in 
the  occupancy  of  servants),  and  facing  a  cherry- 
tree  of  immense  i)ulk,  which  ■  my  father  planted 

V 


160     PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES  ^ 

with  his  own  hands.  All  hope  of  a  family  reunion 
at  the  old  farm  was  sadly  frustrated  long  ere  the 
completion  of  the  cottage ;  for  the  domestic  comforts 
we  had  pictured  for  him,  had  lost  their  potency. 

Occasionally  we  were  permitted  to  visit  the 
theatre,  but  were  never  allowed  a  free  indulgence 
of  promiscuous  plays.  On  one  occasion,. my  Ather 
took  every  member  of  the  family  to  witness  Mr. 
Macready's  Werner.  I  can  remember  only  a 
sombre  man  with  peculiar  brows  and  guttural 
voice  dragging  through  what  seemed  to  me  a  very 
dismal  play;  but  father  pronounced  it  "a  most 
exquisite  performance." 

He  was  always  a  deep  student,  and  would  set 
himself  tasks,  committing  them  to  memory  like  a 
school-boy.  He  acquired  the  part  of  Penrudduck, 
and  performed  it  perfectly  ;  but  failing  to  retain  it 
for  a  fiiture  rendition,  he  acknowledged,  almost 
sadly,  that  "time  was  gaining  on  him." 

A  singular  contrast  in  his  character  was  that 
assumption  of  democracy  by  which  he  sought  the 
level  of  the  humblest,  and  encouraged  even  the 
low  and  vile  to  approach  him  as  a  friend ;  then 
suddenly  that  innate  dignity  which  would  exalt 
him   as   a  peer  above   the  herd,  and   check   all 


IN  THE  LIFE  OF  J  UNI  US  BR  UTUS  BOOTH.      161 

attempt  at  undue  familiarity.  There  was  an  awe 
about  him  that  neither  his  deep  learning,  age,  nor 
position  elicited,  but  which  the  natural  demeanor 
of  the  man  inspired. 

All  forms  of  religion  and  all  temples  of  devo- 
tion were  sacred  to  him,  and  in  passing  churches 
he  never  failed  to  bare  his  head  reverently.  He 
worshipped  at  many  shrines ;  he  admired  the 
Koran,  and  in  that  volume  many  beautiful  pas- 
sages are  underscored ;  days  sacred  to  color,  ore, 
and  metals,  were  religiously  observed  by  him.  In 
the  synagogues  he  was  known  as  a  Jew,  because 
he  conversed  with  rabbis  and  learned  doctors,  and 
joined  their  worship  in  the  Hebraic  tongue.  He 
read  the  Talmud  and  strictly  adhered  to  many  of 
its  laws. 

Sevetal  fathei's  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
recount  pleasant  hours  spent  with  him  in  theo- 
logical discourse,  and  aver  that  he  was  of  their 
persuasion,  by  his  knowledge  of  the  mysteries  of 
their  faith.  Of  the  numerous  houses  of  worship 
to  which  I  have  accompanied  my  father,  the  one 
he  most  loved  to  frequent  was  a  floating  church  or 
"  Sailor's  Bethel."  The  congregation  was  of  the 
humblest  degree,  and  the  ministry  not  at  all  edify- 


162      PASSAGES,  INCIDENTS,  AND  ANECDOTES. 

ing.  I  remember  kneeling  through  a  lengthy 
impromptu  prayer,  which  contained  no  spirit  of 
piety  to  my  childish  ears,  and  looking  around 
wearily  at  my  father,  I  beheld  his  face  so  earnestly 
inspired  with  devotion  that  I  felt  rebuked,  and  it 
became  pleasant  to  attend  to  that  which  was  so 
devoid  of  interest  before. 

His  reverence  for  religion  was  universal  and 
deep-rooted.  It  was  daily  shown  in  acts  of  phi- 
lanthropy and  humane  deeds  which  were  too  often 
misdirected.  He  was  not  a  sectarian,  but  made 
many  creeds  his  study,  and  although  the  dogmas 
of  the  church  might  have  yielded  him  a  more 
enduring  peace,  yet  the  tenderness  of  his  heart, 
from  which  emanated  his  loving-kindness  and  great 
charity,  afforded  strength  to  his  declining  years. 

"  Why  then  doth  flesh,  a  bubble-glass  of  breath, 
Hunt  after  honor  and  advancement  vain, 

And  rear  a  trophy  for  devouring  death. 
With  so  great  labor  and  long-lasting  pain. 
As  if  his  days  forever  should  remain  ? 

Sith  all  that  in  this  world  is  great  or  gay, 

Doth  as  a  vapor  vanish  and  decay." 


COPIES  OF  OLD  PLAT-BILLS. 


SCHOUWBURG  IN  DE  AMSTELSTRAAT. 


Engelsche  Tooneelspelen  en  Verlastigingen  met  toestemming 
van  Heeren  Burgermeesteren. 

Hunner  MAJESTEITS  Tooneelspelers  van  het  Koninklijk  Tooneel 

van  Londen  en  Windsor  verzoeken  eerbiedigst  de  vrijheid  den 

hoogere  en  lagere  Standspersonen  en  het  Publiek  in  het  algemeen, 

aan  te  kondigen,  dat  dit  Tooneel,  zeker,  geopend  zal  worden 

op    aanstaanden  Woensdag  den   18den  Mei  1814  met  her 

beroemd  Engelsch  Blijspel. 

THE  HONEYMOON. 

(DB  HONIGMAAN.) 

The  duke  Aranza,  Mr.  PENLEY,  Jun.  Count  Montalban,  Mr.  PL  ATT. 

Kolando,  Mr.  SALTER.    Balthazar,  Mr.  STACKWOOD. 

Lampedo,  Mr.  BURTON,  Jaques,  Mr.  JONAS.  Lopez  Mr.  J.  JONAS, 

CampiUo,  Mr.  BOOTH,  Pedro,  Mr.  FRANKLIN, 

Juliana,  Miss  Watson.  Volante  Miss  LUCAS. 

Zamira,  Miss  PENLEY.  Hostess,  Mrs.  BEYNON. 

VoorhetStuk:  een  gelegenheids-aanspraak,  door  den  Heer 

McGlBBON. 

Nahetzelve:  een  nieuw  Tersch  gezang,  getijteld  Paddij  Wellington 

door  den  Heer  A.  L.  Jones. 

En  eene  Favorite  Schotsche  Aria,  getijteld  Sandy  &  Jenny,  door 

JufFer  M.  Jonas. 

Tot  slot  eene  lachwekkende  verlustiging,  getijteld : 

THE  WEATHERCOCK. 

(DE  WEERHAAN.) 

Old  Fickle  Mr.  STACKWOOD.    Young  Fickle,  Mr.  PENLEY,  Jun. 

Barber,      Briefwit,     Mr.  BURTON.        Sneer.  Mr.  J.  JONAS. 

Mr.  FRANKLIN.        Gardener,  Mr.  BOOTH.        Variella, 

Miss.    WATSON.     Ready,     Miss.    M.    JONAS. 

Prijs  der  plaatsen :  Balcon  f  2 :  12.    Loge  /  2:4.    Paterre  /  1 : 6. 

Gallerij  /  1 :  : 
De  deuren  zuUen  ten  zes  uren  worden  geopend.    Ten  zeven  uren  op 

het  Tooneel. 

Entree  Billetten  te  krijgen  en  plaatsen  te  bespreken  in  bovengemelden 

Schouwburg  van  Elf  tot  Twee  Uren. 

Speel  avonden:  Maandag,  Woensdag  en  Saturdag 


Amstbbdam,  bij  HOLTROP,  son.  Bookseller,  Kalverstreet,  No.  36. 
(164) 


Positively  the  Last  Night. 
Theatre  Ghent. 

Messrs  JONAS  and  Penley,  Directors,  their  Britannic  Majesties 
servants  from  the  Theatres  Royal  Windsor  and  Brighton,  under  the 
immediate  Patronage  of  his  Royal  Highness  the  Hereditary  Prince 
of  Orange,  and  late  of  the  Theatres  Amsterdam,  Rotterdam  and 
Brussels,  etc.  "■ 

On  Wednesday  evening,  November  30,  1814,  will  be  present€d 
SHAKESPEAR'S  celebrated  Tragedy  of 

Othello,  the  Moor  of    Venice, 


Othello,  Mr.  Cordell, 

lago,  Booth, 

Gassio,  Piatt, 

Brabantio,  James, 

Eoderigo,  Burton, 


Duke  of  Venice,       Montford, 
Gratiano,  Franklin, 

Montano,  J.  Jonas, 

Desdemona,     Miss  Watson, 
Emilia,  Penley. 


To  conclude  with  the  grand  Pantomime,  of 

DON     JUAN, 

Don  Juan,         Mrs  Burton,  I       Alguazile,  WaUceVj 

Don  Guzman,  Montfotd,      \       Sailor,  Franklin, 

Don  Ferdinand,         Cordell,         I        Scaramouch,  J.  Jonas, 

Mate,  Piatt,  |       Donna  Anna,    Miss  Penley. 

Fisherwomen,  (with  the  favorite  fishing  Duet)  Miss  Watson  and  Jonas 

Old  Woman,  Mrs  Beynon. 

At  the  end  of  the  Pantomime  Don  Juan  will  be  rewarded  tor  all  his 

crimes  bv  being  cast  into  the 

INFERNAL      REGIONS 

When  will  descend  a 

SHOWER  OF  REAL  FIRE. 


Demi^re    Eepr^sentation    de    la    Troupe    Anglaise. 
GRAND      THEATRE. 

Ahonnement  Suspendu. 

Gand,  h  29  Novembre  1814. 
MONSIEUR 
Messieurs  JONAS  et  PENLEY,  et  leur  Troupe,  sujets  de  Sa 
Majesty  Britanique  des  Theatres  de  Windsor  et  de  Brighton,  qui 
sons  la  protection  particulifere  de  son  Altesse  royale  le  Prince  H^r^di- 
taire  d'Orange,  ont  eu  I'honneur  de  donner  plusieurs  Representations 
aux  Theatres  d' Amsterdam,  Rotterdam,  Bruxelles,  etc. 

Les  Comediens  Anglais,  auront  I'honneur  de  donner  Mercredt 
80  Novembre  1814,  pour  leur  Cloture,  la  ctJl^bre  Trag^die  de  SHA- 
KESPARE,  intitulde: 

Othello,   Oil    le   Maure   de    Venise. 

Le  Spectacle  sera  Terrain  d  par  la  grande  Pantomime  de 

DON    JUAN, 

Dans  laquelle  DON  JUAN,  est  Anglouti  par 

UNE    PLUIfi    DE    FEU. 

On  commencera  k  cinq  heores  et  demie. 

(166) 


Theatre    Royal^  Covent-Gar den. 
MRS.  SIDDONS, 

Having  in  the  kindest  manner  consented  to  act  for  llie  BENEFIT  of 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  KEMBLE, 

*j(t*  The  Publich  are  respectfully  informed  thai 

This  present  FRIDAY,  May  31, 1816,  will  be  acted  Shakspeare's 

Play  of 

King    Henry    YIII. 

Henry,  King  of  England,  Mr.  EGERTON, 

Cardinal  Wolsey  by  Mr.  KEMBLE, 

Cardinal  Campeius,  Mr.  CHAPMAN,      Capucius,  Mr.  KING, 

Cranmer,  Mr.  MURRAY,     Lord  High  Chaecellor,  Mr.  PLATT, 

Duke  of  Buckingham,  Mr.  BARRYMORE, 

Duke  of  Norfolk,  Mr.  DURUSET, 

Duke    of    Suffolk,    Mr.    HAMERTON, 

The    Lord   Chamberlain,   Mr.    JEFFERIES, 

Earl  of  Surry,  Mr.  CLAREMONT,        Lord  Sands,  Mr.  SIMMONS, 

Gardiner,  Bishop  of  Winchester,  Mr.  BELLAMY, 

Sir  Thomas  Lovel,  Mr.  BOOTH,    Sir  Henry  Guilford,  Mr.  MENAGE, 

Cromwell  by  Mr.  C.  KEMBLE, 

Brandon,  Mr.  HOWELL, 

Surveyor  to  the  Duke  of  Buckingham,  Mr.  TREBY, 

Keeper  of  the  Council,  Mr.  Atkins,  Clerk  of  the  Court,  Mr.  Ckompton. 

Katharine,  Queen  of  England,  Mrs.  SIDDONS, 

Duchess  of  Norfolk,  Mrs.  EMERY, 

The  Marquess  of  Dorset,  Miss  LOGAN, 

Lady  Denny,  Mr<«.  DAVENPORT,  Anne  Bullen,  Miss  FOOTE, 

Patience,  Miss  MATTHEWS, 

Agatha,  Mrs.  Watts,     Cicelj',  Mrs.  RyaU. 

In  Act  I.      The  Cardinal's  Banquet. 

Dancers,    Mess.  Goodwin,  Grant,  Heath,  Louis,  Piatt  Sargent, 

'Sutton,  White. 

Mesdames  Bradwell,  Bologna,  Boyce,  Heath,  Louis, 

Ryal,  Standen,  Watts. 

Act  JT.    The  Trial  of  Queen  Katharine. 

Act  V. 

The  Procession  to  the  Cliristening  of  the  Princess  Elizabeth. 

The  ANTHEM  to  be  sung  bv  Mess.  I.  Brown,  Duruset,  Everardy 

Lee,  Linton,  Montague,  K^orris,  SinclairjTavlor,  I.  Terry, 

S.  Tett,  Tett,  Tinne}',  Watson,  Wilfiams. 

Mesdames  Bishop,  Bologna,  Carew,  Coates,  Corri,  Davies,  Findlay, 

Grimaldi,  Herbert,  Harper,  Hibbert,  HiflF,  Lefeive, 

Logan,  Sterling,  West,  Whitraore. 

(166) 


After  wbich  (by  Permissioa  of  the  Proprietors  of  Drury  Lane  Theatre) 

the  Farce  of 

The    PRIZE: 

Or,  2,  5,  3,  8. 

Lenitive  (first  time)  by  Mr.  MATHEWS,  with  the  Song  of 

THE  MAIL  COACH. 

Label  (first  time)  by  Mr.  LISTON, 

Heartwell  (with  Songs)  bv  Mr.  DURUSET, 

Caddy  by  Mr.  BELLAMY,     Juba  bv  Master  WILLIAMS, 

Caroline  by  Mrs.   C   KEMBLE, 

Mrs.  Caddy  b}'  Mrs.  Whitmore. 

Priated  by  E.  Macleith,  2,  Bow-street,  London. 

Miss    0'  N  E  I  L  L, 

WILL  PERFORM 

On  Monday,  EUPHRASIA.         On  Thursday,  Mrs.  OAKLEY. 
And  on  Saturday,  June's,  BELVIDERA 


MR.    KEMBLE 

will  perform  On  Monday,  EVANDER. 


Tomorrow,  for  the  Benefit  of  Messrs.  C.  I.  Ashley  and  S.  Wesley 

a  New  Sacred  Oratoria  called  The  INTERCESSION— 

with  Two  Grand  Miscellaneous  Acts. 

On  Monday,  the  Tragedy  of  the  GRECIAN  DAUGHTER. 

Evander,  Mr.  KEMBLE,  Dionysius,  Mr.  CONWAY, 

Euphrasia,  Miss  O'NEILL. 

With  Sylvester  Daggerwood — and  the  Melo- 

Drama  of  FORTY  THIEVES. 

On  Tuesday,  for  the  Benefit  of  Mr.  MATHEWS,  the  BEGGAR'S 

OPERA— With  a  Farce  called  A  C  HIP  of  the  OLD  BLOCK— 

and  other  Entertainments. 

On  Wednesday,  for  the  Benefit  of  Mr.  CONWAY,  the  Opera  of  The 

EXfLE- With  Mrs.  WIGGINS— and  the  Farce  ot 

KATHARINE  and  PETRUCHIO. 

On  Thursday,  the  Comedy  of  The  JEALOUS  WIFE. 

Mrs.  Oaklev  (for  the  9th  time)  by  Miss  O'NEILL. 

On  Friday,  for  the  Benefit  of  Mr.  JONES,  the  Opera  of  The  LORD 

of  the  MANOR— with  TOM  THUMB  the  GREAT-and 

(first  time)   a  new  Festive  Entertainment  called 

VENETIAN  VAGARIES;   or  Pageantry 

on  Land  and  Water. 

On  Monday,  June  10,  will  be  revived  the  First  Part  of  Shakspeare's 

Play  of 

KING  HENRY  THE  FOURTH, 

In  which  Mr.  KEMBLE  vixW,  for  the  first  time,  attempt  the 

Character  of 

SIR  JOHN  FALSTAFF. 


(167) 


Theatre  Royal,  Covent  Oarden. 

Th»  prasent  Wednesday,  Oct.  23, 1S13,  vill  be  acted  &haikspe«i«*s 
Comedv  of 

AS  YOU  LIKE  IT. 

The  Dnke  bv  Mr.  EGERTON, 

Doke  Fnderick,  Mr.  CHAPMAX,  Amiens  bj  Mr.  DUSUSST^ 

Jaques  by  Mr.  YOUNG. 

LeBeauoi  by  Mr.  TR£BY,  Eustace,  Mr.  KING, 

^        Lnois,  Mr.  W.  Chai»mas, 

OUver  \>y  Mr.  BARRTMORE,    Jaqaes  de  Bois,  Mr.  CLAREMONT, 

Orl;indo  bv  Mr.  C.  KEilBLE,        Adam  bv  Mr.  MURRAY, 
Charles  bv  Mr".  CRUMPTOX,  '  Dennis,  Mr.  Sanaat, 

SilViuss  Mr.  BOOTH,  Cwin,  Mr.  ATKINS, 

William  by  Mr.  BLANCH ARD,       TondistoiMi by  Mr.  FAWCETT, 

Rocsalind  by  Mrs.  ALSOP, 

{iKing  kur  'del  appeantHce  om  <»»«  staot.) 

Celia  by  Miss  MATTHEVVS,         Phcebe  by  Miss  CABEW, 

Audrey  by  Mrs.  GIBBS. 

In  Act  Y.  a  masqui:  incidental  to  the  IHeee, 

Hymen  by  Mrs.  LISTOX,    Cupids  by  Miss  Shottar  and  Miss  PSsialM. 

After  irhich  -will  be  produced  (for  the  first  time)  a  Nam  €fnmd 

Ststoricai  Melo  J>mma,  in  3  acts,  called 

John   Du   Bart; 

OB,  THB 

VOYAGE    TO  POLAND. 

The  JHusieiy  See*ery,  Maekimery,  Drtsaes  tmd  Decoratisat  ssdl  i« 
,  entirtiy  meur. 

THE    CHAEACTERISTICK   OVERTIJRE, 

(Expressive  of  a  Frigate  riding;  in  Smooth  Water— WeigUwAaelM»t 

and  Sailing — a  St(»m  rising,  &c,  &uu,)  leiA  tie  «mw 

of  Ae  Jfatielii,  am^potedlm  Mr.  BISBOP. 

Tke  ScKtzsT  paimtei  %  Jfess.  JPtmipt,  WkHmorty  Ptj^  ffirtaw, 

«M  Amr  Msistaati. 

T%e  JfadkMM9ry%»  Jfett.  SmI  mmi  BrmimS. 

Tke    Dr«$s«s  ijr  Mr.  FTamtr  mmd  HSk  Efur. 

Tt»  Prince  de  Conti  (elected  Kins  of  Poland)  Mr.  HAMMERTON. 

John  da  Bart  (CoAimodore  of  the  French  ^nadran,  and  Captain  of 

the  Frisrate  the  Fame)  Mr.  FARLEY, 

Ftands  (his  son,  and  Lieutenant  of  the  Fame)  Miss  S.  BOOTH, 

Ambrose  O'Biberoa  (a  sailor)  Mr.  TOKELY, 

Ueut.  Bortxand,  Mr.  NORRIS,  Midship,  Master  S.  CHAPMAN, 

Master  of  the  Fame,  Mr.  HOWELL, 

Captain  of  the   Watch,  Mr.  ATKINS. 

Sailon,  MaooMfla,  Ac,  &G. 

(IM) 


POLANDEBS. 

Eodolski  (Castellan  of  Windaw)  Mr.  EGERTON, 
Colonel  Cassiniir  Danowski,  Mr.  ABBOTT, 

Lesko  (an  officer)  Mr.  TREBY, 

Albert   (a  Lieutenant)  Mr.  JKFFERIES, 

Polish  Soldier,  Mr.  KING, 

Peasant!,  Mess.  W.  Chapman,  Crumpton,  Brown,  Powers. 

Mimiski  (a  Vassal  to  Rodolski)  Mr.  LISTON, 

Polina  Mimiski  (his  Wife)  Mrs.  GIBBS, 

Peasants,  Mesd.  Bologna,  Boyce,  Chip,  Coates,  Corn,  Findlaj, 

Grimaidi,  Herbert,  Hibbert',  Hiff,  Lever,  Norman,  West,  &c. 

In  act  II. 

A    FESTIVE    DANCE, 

(  Gmposed  by  Mr.  NOBLE. ) 

Principal  Characters. 

Mr.  NOBLE,  Miss  LUPPINO, 

Cbrtflaftecs— Mesdames  PLOURDEAU,  EMILIE,  BRADWELL, 

Mons.  VEDY,  Mons.  BERTHET,  Mons.  BEGRAND, 

Corpt  de  Ballet — Mess.  Brown,  Grant,  Heath,  Louis,  Piatt,  Sarjant, 

Sutton,  White. 

Mesd.  Boyce,  Chip,  Heath,  Lever,  Louis,  Ryall,  Stanten,  Watts. 

The  serving  of  the  Guns,  &c.,  &c.,  in 

The  SEA  FIGHT,  and  the  Explosion  of  the    Vessdy 

Under  the  Direction  of  Signor  Rugibri. 
Printed  by  E.  Macliesh,  2,  Btm  Street.  ViTant  Rex  k  Regina. 

Miss     O'NEILL 

WILL  PERFORM  

Tomorrow,  Mrs.  BEVEELEY. 

On  Saturday,  Mrs.  HALLEE. 

Mr.    KEMBLE 

Win  commence  hit  performances  for  the  Season 

On  Saturday,  in  The  STEANGEE. 

On  Monday, COEIOLANUS. 

Mrs.  ALSOP, 

On  her  second  performance  of  ROSALIND,  was  again  greeted  with 

the  acclamations  of  a  brilliant  and  overflowing  audience — And  to 

accommodate  the  numerous  applicants  for  Boxes,  she  will  repeat  that 

character  on  Friday  next. 

Tomorrow,  the  Tragedv  of^heGAMESTER. 

BeverUy,  Mr.  YOtlNG,  Lewson.  Mr.  C.  KEMBLE, 

Mrs.Beverley,  Miss  O'NEILL. 
On  Friday,  the  Comedv  of  AS  YOU  LIKE  IT. 
On  Saturday,  the  Plav  of  The  STRANGER. 

The  Stranger  by  Mr.  KEMBLE,    Mrs.  Haller  bv Miss  O'NEILL. 
On  Monday,  Shakspeare's  Tragedv  of  CORIOLAifUS. 
Coriolanu^  Mr.  KEMBLE. 

(169) 


Theatre  Koyal,  Covent-Garden. 

This  present  Thursday,  February  13,  IfclT, 
Will  be  acted  tlie  Tragedy  of 

King  Richard  III. 

King  Henry  the  Sixth  by  Mr.  EGERTON, 

Prince  of  Wales  by  Miss  Goodwin,    Duke  of  York  by  Miss  Adcock 

Richard,  Duke  of  Gloster,  by  Mr.  BOOTH, 

Duke  of  Buckingham  by  Mr.   BARRYMORE, 

Duke  of  Norfolk  Mr.  COMER,  Earl  of  Oxford  Mr.  MENAGE, 

Henry,  Earl  of  Richmond,  Mr.  ABBOTT, 

Lord  Stanley  Mr.  CHAPMAN, 

Lord  Mayor  of  London  Mr.  ATKINS, 

Sir  Wm.  Brandon  Mr.  CONNOR,    Sir  James  Blunt  Mr.  KlKQ. 

Sir  Richard  Ratcliff  Mr.  Tkeby, 

Sir  Wm.  Catesby  Mr.  Clabemont, 

Sir  Robert  Brakenbur}-^  Mr.  Jefferies,      Sir  James  Tyrrel  Mr.  Norris, 

Aldermen,  Mess.  Lee  and  Crumpton, 

Officer  by  Mr.  Penn,  Forest  by  Mr.  White, 

Dighton  by  MR  Lo15is, 

Queen  Elizabeth  by  Mrs.  FAUCIT, 

Lady  Anne  by  Miss  S.  BOOTH,    Duchess  of  York  by  Miss  LOGAN. 

After  which,  5th  time,  a  New  Ballet  Divertisement  (composed 

by  Mr.  Noble)  called 

AURORA; 

Or,  THE  FLIGHT  OF  ZEPHYR. 

ZephjT  by  Mr.  NOBLE, 

Cnpids,  Misses  F'arsloe,  F.  Boaden,  C.  Boaden,  R.  Boaden, 

Shepherds,  Messrs.  Vedy,  Berthet,  Begrand, 

Mtendanis  on  Zephyi — Mess.   Goodwin,   Grant,  Piatt,  Sarjant, 

Sutton,  White. 

Flora  by  Miss  LUPPINO, 

Nymphs  by  The  Miss  DENNETTS, 

Pastoral  Nymphs,  Misses  Worginan,  Shotter,  L.  Boaden, 

Shepherdesses,  Mesdames  Plourdeau,  Bradwell,  Mori. 

'170) 


To  which  will  be  added,  a  Farce  called 

Love,  Law,  &  Physick. 

Dr.  Camphor  bj' Mr.  BLANCHARD, 

Flexible  by  Mr.  MATHEWS, 

Lubin  Log  by  Mr.  LISTON, 

Capt.  Danvers  by  Mr.  JEFFERIES,    John  Brown  by  Mr.  ATKINS, 

Andrew  by  Mr.  EMERY,    Coachman  by  Mr.  HOWELL, 

Mrs.  Hilary  by  Mrs.  GIBBS, 

Laura,  Mrs.  STERLING. 

CF"  ALL  ORDERS   must  be    REFUSED    at    the    DOORS. 
S.  Macleish,  Printer,  2,  Bow-street,  CoTeDt-Qarden.       Yirant  Rex  et  B«gina. 

MR.    BOOTH, 

In  his  performance  of 

KEKG  EICHAKD, 

teas  greeted  with  applause  as  enthusiastick  as  ever  was  heard  within 

ike  vjalls  of  a  Theatre — He  repeals  the  Character 

This  Evening,  at  the 

UlTANIMOUS  DEMAND  of  the  AUDIENCE. 

The  new  Ballet  of  ATJBOBA  ;  or  the  Flight  of  Zephyr 

having  been  received  throughout  with  every  expression  of  applause 

and  satisfactipn,  will  be  repeated  every  night 

during  the  week. 

The  New  Romantick  Drama  of 

THE  BAVEJSfS;  or  the  FOBCE  OF  CONSCIENCE 

encreasing  on  every  representation  in  popularity  and  attraction, 
will  be  repeated  on  Saturday  and  Tuesday. 

The  New  HIGHLY  POPULAB  PANTOMIME 

wiU  be  repeated  on  Monday. 

Tomorrow,  (15th  time  this  sea.son)  the  Opera  of  GUY  MANNERING. 

With  the  Farce  of  KILLING  NO  MURDER. 
On  Saturday,  the  Operatick  Rrama  of  The  EXILE. 

(171)  / 


THEATRE    ROYAL,    BRURY-LANE. 

This  present  THURSDAY,  February  20,  1817, 
Their  Majesties'  Servants  will  perform  Shakespeare's  Tragedy  of 

OTHELLO. 

Duke  of  Venice,  Mr.  R.  PHILLIPS,    Brabantio,  Mr.  POWELL, 

Gratiano,  Mr.  CARR,  Lodovico,  Mr.  COOKE, 

Montano,  Mr.  KENT, 

Othello,    Mr.    K  E  A  N, 

Cassio,  Mr.  HOLLAND,  Roderigo,  Mr.  S.  PENLET, 

lago,     Mr.    BOOTH, 

{Hi$  First  Appearance  at  this  Theatre.) 

Antonio,  Mr.  Coveney,     Julio,  Mr.  Ebsworth, 

Marco,  Mr.  Jamieson,  Paulo,  Mr.  Goodman, 

Giovanni,  Mr.  Buxton,  Luca,  Mr.  G.  Wells, 

Messenger,  Mr.  Minton,    Leonardo,  Mr.  Evans, 

Desdemona,   Mrs.   B  A  R  T  L  E  Y, 

Emilia,  Mrs.  KNIGHT. 

After  which  (for  the^lOth  time)  a  new  pastoral  Ballet,  composed  b^ 
Mr.  Byrne,  called 

PATRICK'S    RETURN, 

Principal  Dancers.— Mr.  OSCAR  BYRNE, 

Mr.  MAY,     Mr.  EB.S WORTH, 

Miss    SMITH, 

Miss  TREE,        Mrs.  VEDY,        Miss  HART,       Mrs.  MAY, 

Miss  GLADHILL, 

To  which  will  be  added  (4th  time  at  this  Theatre).the  comick  After* 
piece  of 

The    FOLLIES    of    a    DAT. 

Count  Almaviva,  Mr.  R  A  E, 

Page,  Miss  KELLY, 

Figaro,   Mr.   H  A  R  L  E  Y, 

Antonio,  Mr.  MUNDEN, 

BasU,  Mr.  FISHER,  Pedro,  Mr.  MINTON, 

Countess,  Mrs.  ORGER, 

Susan,     Mrs.     A  L  S  0  P, 

Agnes,  Miss  Cooke, 

Thant  Rex  et  Regina. — No  Money  to  be  returned.— Lo^muMS,  Printer,  Mar- 
quls-Court,  Drury-Lane. 

(172) 


The  Fublick  are  respectfully  infonned,  that 
MB.    BOO  TH 

is  engaged  at  this  Theatre,  and  will  make  his  first  Appearance 
This  Evening,  in  the  Character  of  lago,  in  tlie  Tragedy  of  Othello. 

Othello,  Mr.  KEAN. 

Due  Notice  will  be  given  of  the  next  Representation  of  the  Comedy  of 

the  ly  CONSTANT,  which  was  performed  on  Saturday 

Evening  with  the  highest  Approbation. 

The  NEW  BALLET  caUed  PATRICK'S  RETURN, 
performed  on  Tuesday  for  the  Qth  time,  was  honoured  with  a  most  bril- 
liant Reception :  it  mil  be  repeated  this  Evening,  and 
every  Evening  till  further  Notice. 

THE  FOLLIES  of  A  DAY, 

performed  last  Night  for  the  third  time,  was  again  received  -mtb 

most  distinguished  and  universal  Applause, — it  will 

therefore  be  repeated  this  Evening. 

In  Consequence  of  numerous  Enquiries  at  the  Box-Office  for  the  next 
Representation  of 

TIMON  OF  ATHENS, 
it  will  be  performed  on  Saturday  next. 

Southern's  Tragedy  of  OROONOKO, 

(in  which  Mr.  KEAN  made  his  9th  Appearance  in  the 
Character  of  Oroonoko  was  performed  on  Wednesday  to  a 
brilliant  and  overflowing  Audience,  and  honoured  through- 
out with  the  most  enthusiastick  Applause ; — it  will  be  repeated 
early  in  the  next  Week. 

Mrs.  ALSOP,  (Daughter  of  the  late  Mrs.  JORDAN,) 
Will  appear  as  SUSAN,  in  the  FOLLIES  of  a  DAY,  this  Evening. 
(173) 


Theatre    Royal,    Covent-Garden 

This  present  Monday,  Mtirch  17, 1817, 
Will  be  acted  Massinger's  Play  of 

ANEW    WAY 
To  Pay  Old  Debts. 

Lord  Lovel  by  Mr.  BARRYMORE, 

Sir    Giles    Overreacii    by    Mr.    BOOTH,' 

( Being  his  Sd  appearance  in  that  Cliaracter. ) 

Wellborn  by  Mr.  C.  KEMBLE,        Allworth  l)y  Mr.  CONNOR, 

Justice  Greedy  by  Mr.  BLANC  HARD, 

Marall  by  Mr.  TERRY, 

Willdo,  Mr.  Howard,  Vintner,  Mr.  JefFeries 

Tailor,  Mr.  Williams,  Tapwell  by  Mr.  Simmons, 

Order  by  Mr.  Bellamy,  Furnace  by  Mr.  Atkins, 

Amble  by  Mr.  Treby,     Watchall  by  Mr.  King, 

Creditors,  Mess.  White,  Piatt,  W.  Chapman,  George, 

Sir  Giles'  servants,  Mess.  Goodwin,  Grant,  Louis,  Sarjant,  Satton, 

Lady  Allworth  by  Mrs.  FAUCIT, 

Margaret  by  Miss  S.  BOOTH, 

Abigail,  Mrs.  Coates,  Tabitha,  Mrs.  Watts, 

Froth  by  Miss  Leserve. 

With  the  Burlesque  Tragick  Opera  of 

Bombastes  Furioso, 

Artaxominous,  King  of  Utopia,  Mr.  MATHEWS, 

Fusbos,  minister  of  State,  Mr.  TAYLOR, 

General  Bombastes,  (with  the  air  '  Hope  told  a  flattering  idle,*) 

Mr.  LISTOK 

Distaffina,  Mrs-  LISTON, 

(174) 


To  whidi  will  be  added  the  Borletta  of 

M     I     D     A     S. 

I  M  M  0  R  T  A  L  S. 

Jupiter,  Mr.  TINNEY.  Apollo,  Mr.  SINCLAIR, 

Pan.  Mr.  EMEKV, 

Mars,  Mr.  Crtimpton,     Bacchus,  Mr.  Norris,     Mercuiy,  Mr.  Sarjant, 

Vulcan,  Mr.  Watson,  Ganymede,  Mr.  Sutton, 

Cupid,  Miss  Parsloe, 

Jono,  Uii58  LOGAN,    Miner\a.  Mrs.  CHIPP,    Venus,  Mrs.  COREL 

Iris.  Mr.«.  FIXDLAY, 

The  Graces,  Mesd.  Robinson,  Heath,  West. 

MORTALS. 

Midas,  Mr.  LIS  TON,        Sileno,  Mr.  TATLOR, 

Damnjtas.  Mr.  TREBY,  Shepherd,  Mr.  Howell, 

Mysis,  Mrs  LISTON,    Daphne,  Mrs  Sterling,  Nvsa  by  Miss  CAREW, 

A  Private  Box  may  he  liatl  for  the  Season,  or  nightly,  of 

Mr.  Brandon  at  the  Box-office. 

NO    ORDERS    can  possibly   be   Admitted  on   the 
Nights  of  Mr.  Booth's  Performance. 

Printed  by  E.  Macleish,  2,  Bow-street,  London. 

M^;      ^0  OTH 

In  the  part  of 

POSTHUMUS, 

made  an  impression  never  exceeded  'by  any  Actor's  first  appear- 

«  ace  in  one  of  Shakspenre's  Plays,  and  will  repeat  that 

character  on  Thursday  and  Saturday. 

The  Part  of  IMOGEN  hy  Miss  STEPHENS. 

Mr  BOOTH  will  appear  this  Eveninsr.  for  the  third  time,  in 

SIR  GILES   OVERREACH, 

And  on  Monday  in 
KING  RICHARD  the  THIRD. 

Tomorrow,  (28/A  Hme)  the  New  Musical  Drama  of  The  SLAVE, 
With  the  New  Ballet  of  AURORA. 
And  Sheridan's  Farce  of  The  CRITICK. 
On  Thurtday,  Shnkspeare's  Plav  of  CYMBELINE. 

Posthumus,  Mr.  BOOTH,  "  lachimo,  Mr.  YOUNG, 

Polvdore,  Mr,  C.  KEMBLE    Imogen  by  Miss  STEPHENS. 
On  Friday,  a  GRAND  SELECTION  of  Sacred  Musick. 
On  Sntur'day,  the  Play  of  CYMBELINE. 

On  Monday,  Shakspenre's  Tragedvof  KING  RICHARD  the  THIRD, 
King  Richard  by  Mr.  BOOTH. 

.       (178) 


Theatre    Royal,    Covent- Garden, 
MR.  KEMBLES  LAST  NIGHT, 

~~  FOR 

the  BENEFIT  of 

Mr.  Kemble. 


Theatre    Royal,    Covent-Gardeu, 

This  present  MONDAY,  June  23,  1817, 

Will  be  acted  Shakspeaee's  Tragedy  of 

CORIOLANUS: 

Or,   The  Roman  Matron, 

Romans, 
Caius  Marcius  Coriolanus  by  Mr.  KEMBLE,    ' 

(Being  the  LAST  TIME  of   His  appearing 
on  the  Stage.) 

The  Child  by  Miss  Parsloe,  Cominius,  Mr.  CHAPMAN, 

Menenius,  Mr.  BLANC  HARD, 

Fulvias,  Mr.  Jeffries,  Appius,  Mr.  T.  Matthews, 

Tribunes  of  the  People. 

Sicinius,  Mr.  BARRYMORE,     Brutus,  Mr.  MURRAY, 

Citizens. 

Mr.  SIMMONS,  Mr.  ATKINS.  Mr.  HOWELL,  Mr.  MENAGE, 

Volumnia  by  Mrs.  E  A  U  C  I  T  , 

Virgilla,  Miss  FOOTE,  Valeria,  Miss  GREEN, 

Servilia,  Mrs.  Coates. 

Matrons  and  Virgins — Mesds.   Bologna,   Chipp,  Grimaldi,  Heath, 

Louis,  S.  Mori,  Norman,  Robinson,  Sexton,  Watts. 

In  act  XL    An  OVATION 

With  the.  FULL  CHORUS  "  See  the  conquering  Hero  comes," 
By  Mess  Crumpton,  Everard,  George,  Guiffait,  Higman,  Lee,  Linton, 

Norris,  J.  Terr}',  I.  S.  &  C.  Tett,  Tinney,  Watson,  Williams. 

Mesds.  Bishop,   Carew,  Findlay,    Herbert,    Hibbert,  Iliff,   Liston, 

M' Alpine,  Matthews,  Mortram,  Sterling,  Whitmore,  West. 

Vol.icians. 

Tullos  Aufidins,  Mr.  EGERTON,  Volusius,  Mr.  CLAREMONT, 

8extU9,  Mr.  Penn,     Lucius,  Mr.  King,     Navius,  Mr.  Grant, 

Aruus,  Mr.  Sutton. 

(176) 


The  Publick  are  respectfully  informed  that 
For  the  accommodation  of  a  number  of  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  who  have 
not  been  able  to  procure  places  in  the  Boxes,  the  Orchestra  will,  for  this 
evening,  be  occupied  bif  a  part  of  the  Audience,  and  the  Symphonies 
betujeen  the  Acts  be  played  behind  the  Scenes. 

To  which  will  be  added  the  Farce  of  The 

Portrait  of  Cervantes; 

Or,     The   Plotting   Lovers. 

Murillo,  Mr.  EMERY,        Don  Carlos,  Mr.  CONNOR 

Don  Guzman,  by  Mr.  JEFFERIES, 

Scipio  by  Mr.  BLANCHARD, 

Sancho  by  Mr.  LISTON,    Father  Benito  by  Mr.  ATKINS, 

Alguazils,  Mess.  Goodwin,  Louis,  Piatt,  Sutton,  White. 

Lucetta  by  Mrs.  Gibbs,       Isabella  by  Miss  CAREW. 

Printed  by  £.  Macleish,  2,  Bow-Street.  ViTant  Rex  &  Regina. 

On  Thursday,  (for  the  last  time  but  one)  the  New  Tragedy  of 
The  APOSTATE. 


The  highly  popular  Operatick  Drama  of 

The  LIBERTINE 

Will   be  performed  On  Thursday  and  Friday. 

Tomorrow,  for  the  Benefit  of  Mr.  TAYLOR,  the  Opera  of 

The  WOODMAN, 

With  The  Festival  of  Apollo — and  the  Melo-Drama  of 

The  FOREST  of  BONDY. 

.     On  Wednesday,  for  the  Benefit  of  Mr.  BOOTH,  Shakspeare's 
Tragedy  of  KING  RICHARD  IIL 
With  the  Farce  of  The  MAYOR  of  GARRATT. 
Jerry  Sneak,  Mr.  BOOTH. 

On  Thursday,  (10th  and  last  time  but  one)  the  New  Tragedy  of 
The  APOSTATE. 

On  Friday,  for  the  Benefit  of  Mr.   SINCLAIR,  (in  two  acts) 

the  GENTLE  SHEPHERD, 

with  the  Opera  of  FONTAINEBLEAU, 

And  the  new  Operatick  Drama  of  The  LIBERTINE. 

\      (177) 


THE    LAST    N^IGHT 

Of  the  Company's  performing  this  Season. 

Theatre  Koyal,  Covent-Garden. 

This  present  Thursday,  July  17,  1817, 
Will  be  acted  Skakspeare's  Tragedy  of 

O  T  H  E  L  L  O, 

TU  MOOR  of   VENICE. 

The  Duke  of  Venice  by  Mr.  CHAPMAN, 

Brabantio  by  Mr.  MURRAY,  Gratiano,  Mr.  ATKINS, 

Lodovico,  Mr.  COxMER,    Montano,  Mr.  CLAREMONT, 

Othello    by    Mr.     YOUNG, 

Cassio  by  Mr.  C.  KEMBLE, 

lago     by     Mr.     BOOTH, 

Eoderigo  by  Mr.  FARLEY,  Antonio  by  Mr.  PENN, 

Julio,  Mr.  T.  MATTHEWS, 

Marco,  Mr.  SARJANT,  Paolo  by  Mr.  MENAGE, 

Giovanni,  Mr.  George,  Luca  by  Mr.  Lee, 

Lorenzo  by  Mr.  Goodwin,       Cosmo  by  Mr.  Heath, 

Messenger  by  Mr.  Howell,        Leonardo  by  Mr.  Suiton, 

Servants  to  Brabantio,     Mess.  Grant,  Piatt,  Louis,  White. 

Desdemona  by  Miss  O'NEILL, 

(Being  her  3d  appearance  in  that  character.) 

Emilia  by  Mrs.  EGERTON. 

After  which  (for  the  20th  time)  a  New  Operatick  Drama,  m  two 

acts,  called  _The 

Libertine. 

Founded  on  the  interesting  Story  of 

DOisr  juAJsr. 

(178) 


In  which  will  be  introduced  the  celebrated  Musick  in  MOZART'* 

Dos  GiovASXi,  arranged  to  the  English  Stage 

by  Mr.  BISHOP. 

Don  Jaan  {the  Libertine)  by  Mr.  C.  KEMBLE, 

Don  Pedro  (Commandante  of  Seville)  by  Mr.  CHAPMAN, 

Don  Octavio,  Mr.  SINCLAIR, 

Leporello  (  Valet  to  Don  Juan)  Mr.  LISTON, 

Masetto  by  Mr.  DURUSET,     Lopez  by  ilr.  COMER, 

Peasants,  Mess.  Adcock,  Crumpton,  Everard,  George,  Guislart,  Hig- 

man,  Lee,  Linton,  Norris,  Power.  I.  Terry, 

I.  S.  &  C.  Tett,  Tinney,  Watson. 

Donna  Leonora  by  Miss  ilATTHEWS, 

Donna  Elvira  by  Mrs.  FAUCIT,  Maria  by  Miss  CAREW, 

Zerlina    by    Miss     STEPHENS, 

Masqueraders,  Mess.  Goodwin,  Grant,  Heath,  Louis,  Piatt, 

Sarjant,  Sutton,  White. 

Villagers,  Mesdames  Bologna,  Chipp,  Coates,  Corn,  Findl&y,  Green, 

Grimaldi,  Herbert,  Ilibbert,  Iliff,  Mortram,  Norman, 

Saxton,  Watts,  Whitmore. 

3Tic  Scenery,  painted  for  this  Drama,  will  be  exhibited  in  the  foUoio- 
ing  order  : 

The  GARDENS  and  CHATEAU  of  Don  Pedro,  Hollogan 

HALL  in  DON  PEDROs  CHATEAU,  Hodgins 

Distant  VIEW  of  SEVILLE,  and  Villages  around  it,  Pugh 
Distant  VIEW  of  DON  JUAN's  PAVILLION  on  the 

Banks  of  a  Lake,  Whitmore 

PLEASURE  GROUNDS  of  DON  JU.'iN.  Ditto. 

SUMMER  RETREAT  of  DOXNA  ELVIRA,  Grieve 
The  CEMETERY  and  EQUESTRIAN  STATUE  of 

DON  PEDRO,  Grieve 

PIAZZI,  at  Night,  ILLUMINATED,  Whitmore 

GRAND  BANQUET  CHAMBER,  Grieve 

*^*  The  Libertine  i.*  publislted,  and  may  be  had  in  the  tlieatre. 


STf-  ALL  ORDERS  must  be  REFUSED  at  the  DOORS. 

A  Private  Box  may  be  had  for  the  Season,  or  nightly,  of  Mr. 

Brandon  at  the  Box-office. 

The  Doors  will  he  opened  at  HALF  past  FIVE,  and  the  Play  begin 

at  HALF  past  SIX. 

Boxes  7s.     Second  Price  3s  6d. — Pit  38  6d.     Second  Price  2s. 

Lower  Gallery  2s.      Second  Price  Is. — Upper  Gallery  Is. 

Second  Price  6d. 

Priated  by  E.  Macleish,  2,  Bow-stieet.  Tirant  Bex  &  B^;iii». 

(179) 


grijeatre:=ltcisal,  Mmtol 


THE  LAST  OF 

Mr.    Booth's 

TWO  NIGHT'S  ENGAGEMENT. 


On  WEDNESDAY,  SEPTEMBER  17,  1817, 

Will  be  presented,  Shakspear's  PLAY  of  THE 

Merchant    of     Venice. 
Shylock  (in  the  Jewish  Dialect)  by  Mr.  BOOTH. 

Bassanio  Mr.  MEGGETT  tSalanio Mr.  JEPHSON 

Antonio.  Mr.  LINDSAY    jDuke  of  Venice  Mr.  DAWSON 

Gratiano  Mr.  M'CARTHYjOld  Gobbo Mr.  WESTON 

Lorenzo.  Mr.  WEBBER     jLauncelot Mr.  DAWSON,Jun. 

Solarino.  Mr.  KING  jGoaler Mr.  WYATT. 

Portia Miss  CHERRY 

Nerissa...Mi3s  DAWSON  j:Jessica Mrs.  MCCARTHY. 

To  which  will  be  added,  (Last  Time)  a  New  M1EL0-DRAME, 
in  2  acts,  called  THE 

Inn-keep  er^  s    Daughter. 

Richard (in  love  with  Mary) Mr.  M'CARTHY 

Langley (a  Magistrate) Mr.  JEPHSON 

Frankland (the  Inn-keeper) Mr.  DAWSON,  Junr. 

HaiTop (Capt.  to  a  Gang  of  Smugglers) Mr.  LINDSEY 

Edward (his  Son) Master  Dawson 

Monkton (a  Country  Gentleman) Mr.  KING 

Tricksey (a  Custom-House  Officer) Mr.  WESTON 

Wentworth Mr.  WYATT 

William (Mate  of  Harrop's  Vessel) Mr.  DAWSON 

Hans  Ketzler  (a  German,  in  the  Custom-House,  under  Tricksey) 

Mr.  BROMLEY 

Mary (Daughter  of  Frankland) Miss  CHERRY 

Harrop's  Wife Mrs.  DAWSON 

«—»•'»—» 

On  FRIDAY,  Shakespiiar's  Play  of  HAMLET,  with  the  Farce 
of  THE  MAYOR  OF  GARRATT,  the  parts  of  Hamlet  and 
Jerry  Sneak  by  Mr.  BOOTH,  being  for  his  Benefit,  and 
positively  the  last  night  of  his  appearance. 
The  new  grand  Spectacle  of  ILLUSION;   or,  The  Trances  of 
Nourjahad,  being  honor'd  with  the  most  distinguished  approba- 
tion, will  be  repeated  on  MONDAY  next,  with  the  Faroe  of 
THE  WEDDING  DAY,  Lady  Contest  by  Miss  FOOTE. 
0:F"  The  new  Play  of  THE  APOSTATE,  is  in  a  state  of  for- 
wardness, and  will  be  produced,  with  new  Scenery,  Dresses, 
and  Decorations 


ROUTE  AND  JAMESON,  Printers,  adjoining  the  Merchants'  Hall. 
(180) 


Eitmt^Uovialy  dJtrlnttttgf).  ? 


The  PUBLIC 

Are  respectfully  informed,  that,  by  Permission  of  the  Proprietors  of 
the  Theatre-Royal,  Covent-Garden, 

Mr    BOOTH 

Is  engaged  to  perform  here  for  a  FEW  NIGHTS  ONLY,  and 
will  make  his  Third  Appearance, 

7%i«   present    Evening,   Wednesday,    July  8,    1818, 
When  will  be  performed  Shakespeare's  celebrated  Tragedy  of 

m  A  C  B  E  T  H  . 

Duncan,  King  of  Scotland,  by  Mr.  MASON, 

Malcolm  by  Mr.  W.  MURRAY Donaldbain  by  Miss  NICHOL, 

Macbeth  by  Mr.  BOOTH, 
From  the  Theatre-Royal,  Covent-Garden,  being  his  Third 

Appearance  here, 
Banquo  by  Mr.  DOBBS— Fleance  by  Miss  J.  NICHOL— 
Rosse  by  Mr.  ALEXANDER, 
Macduff  by  Mr.  YATES, 
Siward,  Mr.  EDWARDS  —  Seyton,  Mr.  DUFF  —  Captain,  Mr.  AN- 
DERSON—Lennox,  Mr.  JOHNSTON, 
Officers,  Messrs.  Swan  and  M'Grigor  —  Guards,  Messrs.  James, 
Ross,  Snndys,  Morrison,  &c. 
Apparitions,  Messrs.  Brookes,  Cheyne,  Grordon,  Graham, 
Henderson,  Imry,  Winter,  Snowcoflf,  and  Purvis. 
English  Soldiers,  Messrs.  M'Donald,  Robb,  Sands,  Robertson,  Amot, 
Bulkely,  Ghisholm,  Dallas,  Davenport,  Ellis,  and  Edgeworth, 
Scotch  Soldiers,  Messrs.  Angus,  Bain,  Claverhouse,  Dornoch,  El- 
wand,  Eraser,  Gossling,  Hunt,  Komrie,  Lawson,  M'lvor,  &c. 
Hecate,  Mr.  SHAW  —  1st  Witch,  Miss  DECAMP  —  2d  Witch,  Mr. 
CHIPPENDALE  — 3d  Witch,  Mrs.  NICOL, 
Vocal  Witches,  Mesdames  OLHI.MINS,  DYKE,  STAN- 
FIELD,  NICOL,  MOSS,  &c. 
Lady  Macbeth  by  Mrs.  EYRE. 
(181) 


To  which  will  be  added  the  Musical  Farce  of  the 

Hunter    of    the    Alps, 

Felix,  by  Mr.  JONES  —  Rosalvi,  by  Mr.  ALEXANDER, 

Children  by  Miss  J.  NICOL  and  Miss  E.  STANFIELD, 

Jeronymo  by  Mr.  CHIPPENDALE  —Juan  by  Mr.  BENSON, 

Marco  by  Mr.  ANDEKSON  —  Baptista  by  Mr.  DUFF, 

Pietro  by  Mr.  M'GRIGOR— Paullo  by  Mr. 

SWAN  —  Carlo  by  Mr.  EDWARDS, 

Helena  by  Mrs.  EYRE  —  Genevieve  by  Mrs.  CUMMINS, 

Claudine  by  Miss  STANFIELD  —  Stella  by  Miss  NICOL, 

Flora  by  Mrs.  MOSS. 

^^  Mr.  BOOTH'S 
Success  last  Night,  in  the  Character  of  SIR  GILES  OVER-REACH, 
could  only  be  equalled  by  that,  which,  on  Monday  Evening, 
attended  his  representation  of  RICHARD  the  THIRD  ;  on  both 
occasions,  in  obedience  to  the  will  of  the  Audience,  the  Perform- 
ances were  abruptly  terminated  with  the  final  exit  of  Mr.  BOOTH, 
the  reiterated  thunders  of  Applause  with  which  that  Gentleman's 
exertions  were  honoured,  rendering  the  further  Progress  of  the 
Plays  impossible. 

To-Morrow  will  be  performed  Shakespeare's  Historical  Play  of 
the  First  Part  of 

Kinff  Henri/   the   Fourth. 

The  Character  of  Hot-i^pur  by  Mr.  Booth, 

Sir  John  Falstaff  by  Mr.  Yates, 

Being  his  First  Appearance  in  that  Character  here, 

Henry,  Prince  of  Wales,  by  Mr.  Jones, 

Lady  Percy  by  Mrs.  Dobbs. 

To  which  will  be  added  the  New  Fatce  of  HUSBANDS  and  WIVES 

On  Saturday,  in  consequence  of  the  unbounded  approbation  with 
which  it  was  received  last  Night,  will  be  repeated 

Massenger's  Corned}'  of 

The  NEW  WAY  to  PAY  OLD  DEBTS, 

Sir  Giles  Over-reach  by  Mr.  Booth. 

And  on  Monday  will  be  repeated  KING  RICHARD  the  THIRD. 

(182) 


THEATRE   ROYAL   DRURY-LANE. 

This  Evening,  TUESDAY,  December  26, 1820. 

His  Majesty's  Servants  will  perform  (1st  time  these  three  years)  the 
Tragedj'  of 

JANE    SHORE. 

Duke  of  Glo'ster,  Mr.  "WALLACK,     Lord  Hastings,  Mr.  COOPER. 

Beimour,  Mr.  BARNARD,    Duinont,  Mr.  BOOTH. 

Jane  Shore,  Mrs.  W.  West,  Alicia,  Mrs.  EGERTON. 

After  which  will  be  produced,  (for  the  1st  time)  A  NEW  GRAND 

COMIC  PANTOMIME,  called  The 

North  West  Passage ; 

Or,  Harlequin  Esquimaux. 

With  entirely  New  Scenes,  Dresses,  Machinery,  Decorations, 

Tkicks,  &c. 

The  Overture  and  Music  composed  and  selected  by  Mr.  Horn. 

The  Scenery  by  Messrs.  Marixari,  Akdrevvs,  Dixon,  and 

numerous  Assistants. 

The  Dresses  b}'  Mr  Banks  &  the  Misses  Smiths.      The  ProptrtU* 

by  Mr.  R.  Morris  cf-  Assistints 

The  Action  arranged  bv  Mr.  Boi.ogna. 

Neptune,        Mr.  THOMPSON. 

Tritons,  Messrs.  SHELDON  and  CARTER, 

Genius  of  tlie  North,  Mr.  MEREDITH, 

Genius  of  the  West,        Mrs.  COVENEY, 

Genius  of  the  East,        Mr.  WALKER, 

Genius  of  the  South,        Mrs.  DOBBS.. 

Jack  Frost,  Mr.  HUGHES,  Tom  Thaw,  Mr.  GEORGE, 

Icicle,  Mr.  RANDALL.    Hail.  Mr.  SHERIFF,     Sleet,  Mr.  SMITH, 

Snow,  Mr.  ISA AC.S,  Fo!r,Mr  KEELEY,  Magnet.  5Ir.  31  A.\  WELL, 

Boreas,  Mr.  MORETON,    Europe,  Mrs.  MARGERUM, 

ASIA,  Mrs.  SHELDON,    Africa,  Mr.  THOMAS, 

America,  Mr.  RE.\D 

Amphitrite.        Mrs.  MAXWELL. 

Captain  of  the  Hecla.  Mr.  VINING,    Midshipman,  Mr.  RAYMOND, 

Boatswain,  Mr.  WILLMOTT, 

Irbh  Sailor,  Ucith  n  Stmc/)  Mr.  DOBBS. 

iSoifor*,  Messrs.  Cryer,  West.  T.  West,  Bynam,  Hufflett,  Waldie,  Veale, 

AfBey,  Taylor,  Jackson,  Tomkius,  &c.  &c. 
Young  Esquimaux,  afterwards  Harleci'iin,        Mr.  B  O  L  0  G  N  .\. 

Chief  Esquimaux,        Mr.  STARMER 

Esqiiimaux  Men,  Messrs.  Gussio,  Vials,  Hogg,  H.  Hogg,  Winterbum, 

Tulip,  Underbill,  Hussej-,  King,  Simson,  JoUv,  'liler,  &c. 

Pantaloon,  Mr.  ELLIOTT,' 

Clown,  Mr.  S  0  U  T  HEY, 


Fiends,  Masters,  Byrne,  Hildrew. 
Braggadocio,  Master  G.  Carr,        Letter-boy,  Master  C.  Cart, 
Chimney  Sweeper,  Master  R.  Carr. 
Esquimaux  Girl,  afterwards  Columbine,  Miss  TREE, 
Esquimmia:  Women,  Mesdms.  Taylor,  Willmott,  Webster,  Cooper, 
Raymond,  Hill,  Edwards,  Bologna,  Tokely,  Simson, 
Brown,  Wilkins,  Johnson,  &c. 
Men  at  Arms,  Constables,  Porters,  Passengers,  Publican,  Jews, 
Confectioners,  Chimney  Sweeper,  Lamplighter,  Barber,  Tallow- 
chandler,  Soldiers,  Recruits,  Beadles,  Fishwomen,  &c.  &c. 
In  the  Course  of  the  Pantomime,  the  following  New  Scenert: 


The  Frozen  Sea  and  Icebergs,  with 
the  Discovery  Skips. 

The  Northern  Phenomenon,  Crim- 
son Snow. 

The  Prince  RegenCs  Straits,  with 
the  HECLA  at  Anchor. 

Confectioner's  Shop,  Public  House, 
and  Cottage. 

A  New  Bridge. 

TaUoto-chandler's  and  Hairdress- 
er's Shops. 


Billingsgate,  with  a  Flight  across 

the  Thames. 
Margate  Pier,  and  arrival  of  the 

Steam  Boats. 
Waterloo  Bridge  and  Turnpike. 
A  Street  in  London. 
Interior  of  an  Inn. 
Marriott's  Shop,  and  Bolt  in  Tua 

Inn,  Fleet  Street. 
Kitchen. 

Brentford  Market  Place. 
Tyburn  Turnpike,  and 

The  PALACE  of  NEPTUNE, 

With  the  Convention  of  the  Four    Quarters  of  the    Globe. 

D;^  Places  to  be  taken  of  Mr.  Rod  well,  in  the  Rotunda  of  the 

Saloon  of  the  Theatre. 

Pmvatk  Boxes  can  only  be  obtained  for  the  Evening,  of  Mr. 

RoDWELL,  at  the  Box-Office. 

No  Money  to  he  returned.    Tabby,  Printer,  Theatre  Royal,  Drury  Lane, 

The  LORD  of  the  MANOR  " 

Encreasing  in  attraction  on  each  representation,  will  be  repeated  on 

Tuesday,  January  2. 

Truemore,       Mr.  BKAHAM. 

A  new  Comic  Musical  Piece,  in  two  Parts,  collected  from  the 

Materials  and  Characters  contained  in  the  Novels  produced  by  the 

best  writers  on  Irish  Customs  and  Manners,  will  be  produced  in  a] 

few  days,  called 

GIOYANJSri  in   lEELAND. 

To-mnrrow,  PIZARRO. 
On  Thursday,  CORIOLANUS. 

On  Friday,  The  DRAMATIST     With  The  RIVAL  SOLDIERS. 
On  Saturday,  The  WONDER.  Don  Felix,  Mr.  Elliston. 

Violante,  by  a  Lady,  her  \st  appearance  at  this  Theatre, 


^'^ 


There  is  a  kind  of  physiognomy  in  the  titles 
t^  books  no  less  than  in  the  faces  of 
men,  by  zvhich  a  skilful  observer 
xvill  know  as  well  what  to  ex- 
pect from  the  one  as  the 
otiver!* — Butler. 


^. 


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The  Opera. 

TALES  FROM  THE  OPERAS. — A  Collection  of  clever  stories,  based 
upon  the  plots  of  all  the  famous  operas.   i2mo.  cloth,  $1.50 

Robert  R.  Roosevelt. 

THE  GAME-FISH  OF  THE  NORTH. — Illustrated.  i2mo.  cloth,  $200 

SUPERIOR   FISHING. —  do.  do.  $2.00 

nU   GAME-BIRDS  OF  THE   NORTH. do.  $2.00 

John  Pliflenix. 

THE  SQUiBOB  PAPERS. — A  ucw  humoTOus    volumc,   filled  with 
comic  illustrations  by  the  author.  i2mo.  cloth,  $1.50 

•    Mattheur  Hale  Smith. 

MOUNT  OALVABT. — Meditations   in  sacred  places.  i2mo.  $2.00 

P.  T.  Barnum. 
THK  HUMBUGS  OF  THB   WORLD. — TwO   SCricS.  I2mO.  clotH,  $1.75 


JST  GEO.   W.  CARLETOK,  FEW  YORK. 


Walter  Barrett,  Clerk. 

THE  OLD  MEROHAKTS  OF  NEW  YORK. — Pcrsonal  incidents,  sketches, 
bits  of  biography,  and  events  in  the  life  of  leading  merchants 
in  New  York.  Fo;ir  series.    .        .        .     i2mo.  cloth,  $1.75 

Madame  Octavla  ITalton  I<e  Vert. 

BotreEiOES  OF  TRAVEL.  New  edition.    Large  i2mo.  cloth,  $2.00 

Kate  Marstone. 
A  new  and  very  interesting  tale.      .        .     i2mo.  cloth,  $1.50 

By  <'  SentlneL" 

WHO  GOES  THERE? — Or  men  and  events.         l2mo.  cloth,  $1.50 

Junius  Brutus  Bootb. 

MEMORIALS  OF  "tHE  ELDER  BOOTH." ThcaCtOr.  I2m0.  cloth,  $1.50 

H.  T.  Sperry. 
COUNTRY  LOVE  VS.  CITY  FLIRTATION. — A  Capital  new  society  tale, 
with  twenty  superb  illustrations  bvHoppln.  i2mo.  cloth,  $2.00 

Epea  Sargent. 

PEOtnjAB. — A  remarkable  new  novel  i2mo.  cloth,  $1.75 

Cuyler  Pine. 
MARY  BRANDEGEE. — A  very  powerful  novel.    i2mo.  cloth,  $1.75 
▲  NEW  NOVEL. — In  press.    ....  do.       $1.75 

Kllsba  Kent  Kane. 
LOVE-LIFE  OF  DR.  KANE  and  Margaret  Fox.    i2mo.  cloth,  $1.75 

motber  Goose  for  Oroivn  Folks. 

HtTMOBOUS  RHYMES  for  growH  pcople.  i2mo.  cloth,  $1.25 

m.  T.  IValwortb. 

LtjLXT. — A  new  American  novel.  .        .  i2mo,  cloth,  $1.50 

HOTSPUR. —        do.  ....  do.       $1.50 

8T0RMCLIFF. —    do.  ....  do.       $1.75 

Captain  Semmes. 
THE  CRUISE   OF   THE   ALABAMA   AND  SUMTER. —    I2mO.  cloth,  $2.00 

Amelia  B.  EdwardSb- 
BALLADS. — By  author  of"  Barbara's  History."  i2mo.  cloth,  $1.50 

Mrs.  Jervey  (Caroline  H.  Glover). 

HEL.EK  oourtenay's  PROMISE. — A  new  novel.  i2mo.  cloth,  $1.75 

S .  J.  H . 

THE  MONTANAS. — A  HCw  American  novel.      i2mo.  cloth,  $1.75 

Wls  a.  Fisher. 
A  8?inster'8  story. — A  new  novel.  .        .     izmo.  cloth,  $1.75 


8       LIST  OF  BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY  CARLTON,  NEW  YORK. 

miscellaneoas  PCorks. 

HOTES  ON  SHAKSPEARE. — By  Jas.  H.  Hackett.    i2mo.  cloth,  $1.50 

TREE  GOVERNMENT  IN  ENGLAND  AND  AMERIOA. do.  $3-00 

AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  A  NEW  ENGLAND  FARM-HOUSE. —  do.  $1-75 

NEPENTHE. — A  new  novel.      .        .        .        .         do.  $1.50 

TOGETHER. do.                   ....             do.  $1.50 

LOVERS  AND  THINKERS. — do do.  $1.50 

POEMS. — By  Gay  H.  Naramore.     ...          do.  $1.50 

OOMERT  OF  MONTGOMERY. — By  C.  A.  Washbum.    do.  $2.00 

viCToiRE. — A  new  novel do.  $1.75 

POEMS. — By  Mrs.  Sarah  T.  Bolton.       .        .          do.  Si. 50 

SUPPRESSED  BOOK  ABOUT  SLAVERY. .            .              do.  $2.00 

JOHN  ouilderstring's  BIN. — A  novel.    .        .          do.  $1.50 

CENTEOLA. — By  author  "  Green  Mountain  Boys."  do.  $1.50 

RED  tape  and  pigeon-hole  GENERALS. —               .              do.  fl-S© 

TREATISE  ON  DEAFNESS. — By  Dr.  E.  B.  Ligh thill,     do.  $1.50 

around  the  PYRAMIDS. — By  GcD.  Aaron  Ward.      do.  $1.50 

china  and  the  chinfse. — By  W.  L.  G.  Smith.        do.  $1.50 

the  yaohtman's  primer. — By  T.  R.  Warren.          do.  50  cts. 

EDGAR  POE  AND  HIS  CRITICS. — By  Mrs.  Whitman,    do.  $1.00 

MARRIED  OFF. — Illustrated  Satirical  Poem.              do.  50  cts. 

THE  FLYING  DUTCHMAN. — ^J.  G.  Saxc,  illustrated,     do.  75  cts. 

ALEXANDER  VON  HUMBOLDT. — Life  and  Travels.       do.  $1.50 

LIFE  OF  HUGH  MILLER. — The  Celebrated  geologist,  do.  $1.50 

THE  RUSSIAN  BALL. — Illustrated  satirical  poem.      do.  50  cts. 

THE  SNOBLACE  BALL.            do.                 do.            do.               do.  50  CtS. 

AN  ANSWER  TO  HUGH  MILLER. By  T.  A.  DavicS.       do.  $1.50 

COSMOGONY. — By  Thomas  A.  Davies.  .        .     8vo.  cloth,  $2.00 

TWENTY  YEARS  around  the  world.  J.  Guy  Vassar.  do.  13-75 

RCRAL  ARCHiTsoTURE. — By  M.  Field,  illustrated,    do.  $2.00 


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